Ukraine has retaken 745 square kilometers of Russian-occupied land since January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Aug. 12, crediting an eight-month offensive in the Oleksandrivka sector he said was carried out “with precision — exactly as planned.”
Zelensky said 26 villages across Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions were returned to Ukrainian control, crediting the Air Assault Forces. He claimed Russian losses of at least 9,550 killed and 6,600 wounded — figures that have not been independently verified, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Military analysts urge caution on territorial claims in gray zones. Emil Kastehelmi of the Black Bird Group told the Kyiv Independent that Ukrainian-claimed ground was, in some cases, only recently part of Russia’s rear, meaning control on paper does not always match the situation on the ground. The Institute for the Study of War separately assesses that Russia itself gained full control of just 81 square kilometers since January, far below the 2,226 square kilometers Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed, according to Around Prague.
Russian forces, meanwhile, continue pressing toward key cities in the central Donetsk region, a reminder that gains near Oleksandrivka have not eased pressure elsewhere on the 1,200-km front.
