Ukraine has regained control of 480 square kilometers of territory along the southeastern and eastern front since late January, according to army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, who also noted that Russia continues its spring offensive.

Following a visit to the front line, Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces had retaken eight settlements in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region and four in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

Despite these gains, he stressed that Russian troops are pressing ahead with their offensive.

“Russian forces are not abandoning their plans for further offensive operations and are regrouping their available forces and equipment,” Syrskyi said in a Telegram post late Sunday. “Despite significant losses in personnel and military equipment, the invaders aim to seize more Ukrainian territory and create a ‘neutral zone’ in the Dnipropetrovsk region.”

He added that Ukrainian troops continue to hold their defensive lines.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that the frontline situation is the most favorable for Ukraine since mid-2025.

Military analysts say Ukrainian counterattacks in the southeast are disrupting Russian operations around Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region, as well as the broader spring offensive along a front stretching at least 1,200 kilometers.

“Ukrainian counterattacks in the Khuliaipole and Oleksandrivka directions continue to pose dilemmas for the Russian military command, with already strained forces struggling to respond,” the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said in its latest daily report.

At the same time, Russian forces are still making gains north of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, according to Russian state media citing the Defense Ministry.

The battle for Pokrovsk has been ongoing since mid-2024, as Russia seeks to consolidate its control over the Donetsk region.

Syrskyi said he also visited the Pokrovsk sector and ordered additional ammunition and supplies to reinforce Ukrainian units there.

With diplomatic efforts to end the war stalled, Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes against Russian oil infrastructure. Over the past two weeks, Ukrainian forces have targeted Russian ports in the Baltic Sea and energy facilities in the Leningrad region.