Ukraine regained control of around 50 square kilometres of its territory from Russia in March, building on gains made since the start of the year, according to the country’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
He said that with changing weather conditions, Moscow’s forces have intensified their offensive operations, now being conducted along much of the 1,200-kilometre front line.
Syrskyi noted that the area around the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk—which Russia has been attempting to fully capture since mid-2024—was among the locations where the heaviest fighting took place.
He also identified the directions of Oleksandrivka, Kostiantynivka and Lyman in the south-east and east as the “hottest” areas during the month.
Thwarting Russia
According to military analysts, Ukrainian counterattacks in the south-east have helped thwart Russian efforts around Pokrovsk and more broadly hindered Moscow’s spring offensive. Syrskyi said last week that Ukraine has regained 480 square kilometres of territory since the end of January, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month described the situation on the front line as the most favourable for Ukraine since mid-last year.
To limit Russia’s offensive capabilities, Ukrainian forces have maintained a high tempo of strikes on military and defence industry facilities, as well as other infrastructure inside Russia, Syrskyi said.
In March alone, Ukraine struck 76 such targets, along with 15 oil refinery facilities, he added. Kyiv has stepped up attacks on Russian ports, refineries and fertiliser plants in an effort to curb Moscow’s export revenues, as the war involving Iranhas driven global prices higher.
CNA