The Ukrainian military is conducting a planned offensive operation during which it has already liberated almost the entire territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Maj. Gen. Oleksandr Komarenko, head of the Main Operational Directorate of Ukraine’s General Staff, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine said the offensive in the Oleksandrivsky direction is being carried out by airborne assault and assault troops with the support of mechanized brigades defending the sector.
“This is a planned offensive operation that has passed all the procedures of approval, coordination, coordination, etc.,” Komarenko said.
Asked whether the actions could be described as a full offensive operation, he answered in the affirmative.
“Yes, of course. I repeat, the forms of warfare are changing. The content of operations, battles, combat actions is different,” he said.
Komarenko said Ukrainian forces have already liberated more than 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) of territory, while slightly smaller areas have been cleared of Russian units that had managed to penetrate into rear positions.
“Almost the entire territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region has been liberated. Three small settlements remain to be completed and two more to be cleared,” he said.
“Thanks to these active actions, we have positive dynamics in February – more territory has been liberated than lost,” he added.
According to Komarenko, Russian troops had been trying to advance toward the region in order to create a so-called buffer zone and continue their offensive operations.
“Their leadership constantly says that they need the entire Donbas and a buffer zone. Their goal was to create a buffer zone in the Dnipropetrovsk region – that was their intention, their plan,” he said.
Earlier, on Monday, March 9, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Oleksandr Syrsky, said Ukrainian forces are attempting to seize the operational initiative and “force the enemy to play by our rules.”
“For the first time since 2024, when we conducted the Kursk offensive operation, our troops have regained control over a larger area of Ukrainian land in a month than the enemy captured in the same period,” Syrsky said.
He added that Ukrainian forces continue the counteroffensive operation in the Oleksandrivsky direction.
“Here, the Airborne Assault Forces group has regained control over 285.6 square kilometers [110 square miles] in a month. In total, control over more than 400 square kilometers of territory has been regained since the start of the operation,” he wrote.
Syrsky also noted that in many other sectors, Ukrainian troops are holding back Russian advances through active defense, while in some areas continuing to make progress.
Although Russian forces remain nearly three times more numerous, Ukraine’s active operations have forced them to postpone planned offensives, “patch holes in their defenses,” and redeploy troops from other sectors, he said.
A report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Ukrainian forces liberated more territory than they lost during the last two weeks of February 2026, marking their first net territorial gains since the summer counteroffensive in 2023.
ISW analysts estimate Ukrainian troops have retaken about 257 square kilometers (99 square miles) since Jan. 1.
Ukrainian forces gained nearly 33 square kilometers (13 square miles) between Feb. 14 and Feb. 20, followed by another 57 square kilometers (22 square miles) between Feb. 21 and Feb. 27, according to the report.
The last comparable gains were during Ukraine’s summer 2023 counteroffensive, when troops regained 377 square kilometers (146 square miles) in June and 257 square kilometers in July, before advances slowed sharply by September.
In an interview published on March 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces have regained about 460 square kilometers (178 square miles) since the start of 2026.
ISW noted its mapping may underestimate Ukrainian advances, as analysts mark the farthest confirmed Russian positions until open-source evidence shows they have been abandoned.
Despite differences between Zelensky’s figures and ISW estimates, analysts described the recent Ukrainian advances as notable.
However, ISW said the localized counterattacks are unlikely to develop into a large-scale counteroffensive. Russian forces will likely try to stabilize their positions and resume offensive operations.
At the same time, Ukraine’s gains have disrupted Russian preparations for a planned spring-summer 2026 offensive, forcing Moscow’s troops to focus on building defensive lines.