Counteroffensive of the Ukrainians on the front. They haven't recaptured this much territory since June 2023. What problem are Russian troops facing
Ukrainian soldiers at the front. Photo credit: Ukrinform / ddp USA / Profimedia
The Ukrainian army gained 63 square kilometers of territory from the Russian army from last Wednesday to Sunday, according to an Agence France Presse analysis based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), while Russian military observers report a disruption of Starlink antennas used by Moscow on the front.
More precisely, Ukraine has recaptured 91 square kilometers, of which 86 square kilometers in an area located approximately 80 kilometers east of the city of Zaporozhye (south of the country), where Russian troops have advanced a lot since the summer of last year, reports Agerpres.
In parallel, the Russian army captured 28 square kilometers in other sections of the front, giving Ukraine a total net territorial gain of 63 square kilometers.
Kiev forces have not recaptured so much territory in such a short time since a June 2023 counteroffensive.
In January, the Russian army advanced 319 square kilometers.
“These Ukrainian counterattacks likely benefit from blocking Russian forces' access to Starlink, which, according to several Russian military bloggers, disrupts command communications,” believes ISW, which collaborates with the Critical Threats Project, another American think tank.
How Russia is trying to gain access to Starlink. “He threatens and blackmails relatives of prisoners of war”
On February 5, Russian military observers already noted this disruption, following Elon Musk's announcements of “measures” taken to end the Kremlin's use of this technology. Kiev claimed that Russian drones used it mainly to bypass electronic jamming systems and hit their targets with precision.
Without recourse to Starlink, Russian troops suffered significant ground losses on February 12 and 15, with Kiev recapturing approximately 30 square kilometers and 60 square kilometers respectively on those two days.
By mid-February, Moscow controlled, either fully or partially, 19.5 percent of Ukrainian territory, compared with 18.6 percent a year earlier. About 7% – Crimea and part of Donbas – was already under Russian control before the massive invasion launched in February 2022.
