🟧 FRONTLINE — UKRAINE LIBERATES OVER 200 KM² IN A WEEK

🟧 FRONTLINE — UKRAINE LIBERATES OVER 200 KM² IN A WEEK

Ukrainian forces have liberated 201 square kilometers of territory over the past week, according to assessments cited by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The advance comes as Russian units at the front reportedly lost access to Starlink satellite terminals, creating command-and-control disruptions that Ukrainian forces exploited.

Analysts note that the area retaken in just one week is roughly equal to the territory Russia managed to capture during the entire month of December — making this the largest Ukrainian gain since June 2023.

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Where the advances occurred

Ukrainian forces regained control of multiple settlements along the:
• Yanchur River
• Haichur River

in the Oleksandrivka and Huliaypole directions in the Zaporizhzhia sector.

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What this means operationally

According to military observer Kostiantyn Mashovets:
• Ukrainian counterattacks have reduced the Russian offensive to a tactical minimum in the Huliaypole and Zaporizhzhia directions.
• In several sectors, Ukrainian forces pushed Russian forward units back by up to 9–9.5 kilometers.
• Russian advances are now limited to narrow, localized areas rather than broad offensive momentum.

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Why Starlink disruptions mattered

Russian front-line units had increasingly relied on captured or illicitly obtained Starlink terminals for:
• Drone coordination
• Real-time reconnaissance
• Tactical communications

The reported loss of that connectivity appears to have:
• Slowed Russian reaction times
• Disrupted drone operations
• Reduced coordination between assault units

Ukraine moved quickly to exploit that gap.

Bottom line:
This is not a massive strategic breakthrough, but it is a clear operational success. Ukraine halted Russian momentum in a key sector, regained significant ground, and demonstrated how technological disruption can translate directly into battlefield gains.

It also confirms what we’ve been tracking all week: the Zaporizhzhia axis is heating up, and Ukraine is no longer just defending there — it’s pushing back.