Ukraine reclaims 201 square kilometers in five days
Ukrainian MLRS fires at Russian troops (Photo: Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS)
Ukraine liberated 201 square kilometers of its territory from Russian forces last week — its largest gain in two and a half years, AFP reported on Feb. 16, citing data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The reclaimed area is nearly equals Russia’s total gains in December, marking Kyiv’s most significant advance in a short span since its June 2023 counteroffensive.
“These Ukrainian counterattacks are likely leveraging the recent block on Russian forces' access to Starlink, which Russian military bloggers have claimed is causing communications and command and control issues on the battlefield,” ISW said.
On February 5, military observers reported disruptions to Starlink terminals used by Russian forces, following statements by Elon Musk about “measures” to end the Kremlin’s use of the technology. Kyiv said Russian drones relied on Starlink to bypass electronic jamming and carry out precision strikes.
Most of the liberated territory lies about 80 kilometers east of the Ukrainian city Zaporizhzhya, a front sector where Russian troops had made significant progress since last summer.
As of mid-February, Moscow controlled 19.5% of Ukrainian territory, either fully or partially, compared with 18.6% a year earlier.
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