Ukraine's Zelenskyy says territory recaptured, forces on the offensive

Militarily, being on the offensive means forces are actively trying to seize or recover ground. Saying Ukraine has recaptured territory means its troops claim to have regained areas previously controlled or infiltrated by Russian forces. It signals movement and pressure, not simply defense.

The article gives several examples. Ukraine reported clearing 75 square kilometers of Russian infiltration groups and recapturing another 10 square kilometers in the Vivaldi operation. Zelenskyy also referred to an air assault and an operation near Kupiansk that used underground pipelines to get past Russian positions.

The broader picture remains contested. Zelenskyy called Ukraine’s position its strongest in some time, while Russian commanders said their forces were advancing along the 1,200-kilometer front. Ukraine’s military rejected those Russian claims, so reported gains should be understood as competing wartime accounts.

Operation Veles was an unannounced Ukrainian operation near Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. Zelenskyy described it as a planned, technology-driven action. Its importance came from using existing underground infrastructure to challenge Russian positions in a difficult and unexpected way.

According to Zelenskyy, Russian forces had tried to use underground gas pipelines to advance past Ukrainian positions. Ukrainian fighters then reversed that tactic. They used the same underground infrastructure against the Russian occupiers, which Zelenskyy said produced extraordinary success. The article does not provide further technical details about the movement or the exact territory gained.

The operation formed part of a wider set of Ukrainian actions, including an air assault in eastern Ukraine and the Vivaldi operation farther north. Its disclosure suggested that Ukraine was using varied methods to regain ground and disrupt Russian pressure around Kupiansk, a city under constant Russian pressure after its recapture in late 2022.

The article places Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. It places Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in the Donbas area, within what it calls a “fortress belt” of key strongholds. Donbas is a region in eastern Ukraine. These locations sit in the broader zone where Russian and Ukrainian forces are contesting territory.

Kupiansk matters because Ukrainian forces recaptured it in late 2022, but Russian forces have kept up pressure there. Sloviansk and Kramatorsk matter because the article identifies them as key strongholds. The Vivaldi operation focused north of this fortress belt and sought to prevent Russian advances in important areas.

Control of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk would bring Russia closer to its stated goal of seizing the entire Donbas, according to the article. Kupiansk remains a pressure point in the northeast. Together, these places show that the fighting involves several connected axes rather than one isolated battlefield.

The article gives several Ukrainian figures rather than one single total. In the Vivaldi operation, a Ukrainian commander reported clearing 75 square kilometers of Russian infiltration groups and recapturing another 10 square kilometers. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine had returned 26 villages to its control in an offensive farther south.

These numbers describe different operations and should not automatically be added together. The article does not provide a combined total for all territory Ukraine says it has regained. It does establish that the reported gains span northeastern, eastern, and southern areas of the front.

The front line is roughly 1,200 kilometers long. That scale helps put the reported gains in context: 85 square kilometers in the Vivaldi account and 26 villages represent specific local changes within a much larger battlefield. Russia also claimed advances and the capture of 92 settlements since September, but Ukraine’s military rejected those statements.

Control of towns, roads, and defensive positions usually changes what an army can do next. A force holding them can organize attacks from better locations, protect movement, and use established positions for defense. The opposing force may have fewer routes and less room to maneuver.

The article illustrates this through the area north of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. It calls those cities key strongholds and says their capture would bring Russia closer to controlling the entire Donbas. It also describes Kupiansk as a city under constant Russian pressure, showing why control of a town can remain strategically important even after recapture.

The effects are not automatic or permanent. Armies can counterattack, infiltrate, or contest positions, as the reported fighting around Kupiansk demonstrates. Russia claimed advances across the front, while Ukraine rejected those claims. The practical result depends on whether a force can hold captured ground and turn it into sustained military pressure.

Air-defense systems protect forces and important places from attacks arriving through the air. They can help shield troops, cities, energy facilities, transport links, and other infrastructure. That protection can preserve military capacity and reduce the damage caused by strikes.

The article directly links air defense to Ukraine’s battlefield position. Zelenskyy said the country’s forces were in their strongest position in some time, but that more deliveries from Western allies could make it stronger. The article does not identify specific systems or describe particular interceptions.

For Ukraine, additional air defense could support both military operations and national resilience. Protected troops may be better able to hold or attack positions, while protected cities and infrastructure may continue functioning. The need remains part of the wider war, as Russia continues its drive in Donbas and both sides present different accounts of progress.

Control of territory matters because it gives a military physical ground from which to operate and defend. Towns and strongholds can shape access to surrounding areas, while captured positions can support further attacks or block an opponent’s movement. In this war, control also connects directly to Russia’s stated goal of seizing all Donbas.

The article shows how claims can conflict. Ukraine reported clearing 75 square kilometers, recapturing 10 more, and returning 26 villages to its control. Russia’s chief of staff said Russian forces had captured 92 Ukrainian settlements since September and were advancing along the front. Ukraine’s military dismissed those statements.

Because the accounts come from opposing sides during active fighting, the article does not establish a single verified map of progress. It reports Zelenskyy’s view that Ukraine’s position was strongest in some time, alongside Russia’s claims of continued advances. The real balance can therefore be difficult to determine quickly.