February marks lowest Russian occupation rate since mid-2024
Russian forces occupied 126 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in February 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)
Russian forces occupied 126 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in February 2026, marking their lowest monthly gain since July 2024, DeepState monitoring group wrote on March 1.
This figure is half of the 245 square kilometers seized in January.
Analysts noted that while the rate of territorial capture has slowed, the intensity of combat remains nearly unchanged, with only a 4% decrease in the total number of Russian assaults compared to the previous month. The primary difference was a shift toward smaller, less numerous assault groups.
The Pokrovsk axis remains the most active sector of the front, accounting for 31% of all Russian assaults and 32% of their total territorial gains in February. Other high-intensity sectors include:
Hulyaipole: 21% of assaults
Kostyantynivka: 13% of assaults
Lyman: 7% of assaults.
DeepState analysts highlighted that significant Russian advances were recorded in the Slovyansk (23%) and Kramatorsk (16%) directions, which together accounted for nearly 40% of all territorial losses for the month despite representing a smaller fraction of the total number of attacks.
While Russian advances slowed, Ukrainian leadership reported successful localized counter-offensives:
Southern front: On Feb. 20, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian forces had liberated 300 square kilometers of territory in the south.
Oleksandrivka direction: On Feb. 23, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that since late January, the Defense Forces regained control of eight settlements and 400 square kilometers of territory at Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts intersection.
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