Main points
- In the Donetsk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting active offensive operations on certain sections of the front.
- Russian troops are suffering significant losses, while Ukrainian units are effectively using drones and artillery to reduce the enemy's combat capabilities.
Syrsky: The Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting offensive operations on certain sections of the front in the Donetsk region / Channel 24 Collage
On March 9, Oleksandr Syrsky met with the military defending the Donetsk region. The commander-in-chief stated that our defenders are not only holding their ground, but also conducting counterattacks.
The general reported that he personally visited one of the most difficult sections of the front, where he became familiar with the specifics of the fighting.
What kind of fighting is going on in the Donetsk region?
According to the commander-in-chief, at the current stage of the war, there is often no clear front line – it is blurring. In many areas of the front, the so-called “infiltration zones”, where small infantry groups from both sides can operate, sometimes extend over 10 kilometers.
Syrsky notes: despite the constant attempts of Russian troops to advance deep into Ukrainian positions, the Defense Forces are holding the designated lines.
In some areas of the front, the Ukrainian military is also conducting active offensive operations.
The enemy suffers significant, and sometimes critical, losses in manpower and equipment.
Ukrainian units are effectively using drones, artillery, and remote mining. This helps to gradually reduce the combat capabilities of Russian troops and disrupt their offensive plans.
What is happening at the front?
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Syrsky said that for the first time since 2024, after the Kursk Offensive, the Defense Forces managed to liberate more territory in a month than the enemy captured during the same period.
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The general stated that in the South, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting active counteroffensive operations in the Oleksandrivka direction. Here, the DShV group has regained control over 285.6 square kilometers in a month.
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The General Staff clarified that almost the entire territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region has been liberated from Russian troops, and three settlements remain to be “finished”.
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According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the South in February 2026 could have thwarted Russia's plans for further advancement in the Zaporizhia region and a spring-summer offensive on the “belt of fortresses” in the Donetsk region.
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The Russian command transferred elite units from the Pokrovsky direction and Dobropillya to the south due to the successes of Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.