End of Silence: Ukraine Announces Largest Territorial Liberation
After six months of information blackout, Kyiv has released the results of its offensive toward Oleksandrivka, the largest by area since the fall of 2022
After six months of information blackout, Kyiv has released the results of its offensive toward Oleksandrivka, the largest by area since the fall of 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday the preliminary results of the offensive operation toward Oleksandrivka, which lasted more than six months. This is the largest liberation of territory by area since the counter-offensives near Kharkiv and Kherson in the fall of 2022, as reported by EUobserver.
The operation began on January 29, 2026, and by Wednesday, Ukrainian forces had liberated 26 villages and 745 square kilometers of territory, Zelensky stated. The area is located between Novopavlivka and Ternuvate, in the direction of Velyka Novosilka.
Most of the liberated villages are in the Dnipropetrovsk region, with a smaller number in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. According to EUobserver, with the possible exception of the village of Dachne, Ukrainian forces have driven Russian troops out of all villages in the Dnipropetrovsk region, although some areas remain in the gray zone.
"This offensive operation of ours was carried out with precision, exactly according to plan," Zelensky said. During the operation, 9,550 Russian soldiers were killed and 6,600 wounded, according to the Ukrainian president.
The Ukrainian analytical portal DeepState UA has updated its map, expanding the area under Ukrainian control by 241 square kilometers, while the area under Russian control decreased by 118 square kilometers. The difference is explained by a reduction in the gray zone.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) stated that its estimate is 627 square kilometers, which is more than 100 square kilometers less than the official Ukrainian figure. The difference is attributed to ISW's "conservative mapping."
For comparison, during the summer counter-offensive of 2023, Ukrainians liberated 376 square kilometers and 14 villages, according to The New York Times. At the peak of the incursion into the Kursk region in 2024, they held nearly 900 square kilometers of Russian territory.
The operation was conducted under strict operational security (OPSEC). French OSINT analyst Clément Molin explained why the information blackout was crucial: "It was very difficult to understand the operation because information was lacking. Local Russian units tried to cover up the situation, while Ukrainian units imposed a complete information embargo, with the exception of Skala."
Molin added that OPSEC prevents OSINT analysts, think tanks, and journalists from drawing attention to a situation that a regional commander might otherwise not notice. The only exception was the Skala regiment, which, according to Molin, was looking for a way to cover up its own problems. A Twitter (X) user named Vitaly posted a tweet about OPSEC on August 12, 2026, along with a video showing Ukrainian soldiers with flags at various parts of the front.
Ukrainian military analyst Bohdan Myroshnykov praised the participation of multiple branches of the military: "Airborne troops, marines, mechanized units, unmanned systems forces, all performed excellently!" He added: "This is literally the first successful large-scale, multi-month operation since 2024!"
American analyst Rob Lee noted that Russian western and eastern groups of forces have lost more territory than they have gained this year, while the southern, northern, and central military groups continue to advance.
Molin, however, warned of the operation's limitations: "In reality, this is nothing new. This offensive is not massive, it is still ongoing, and it is taking place on a secondary front." The main battlefield remains the fight for cities in the Donbas.
According to ISW, Ukraine's success is linked to improved operational planning, a campaign to destroy enemy air defenses, intensified attacks on Russian logistics, tactical superiority in drones, and jamming of Starlink signals to Russian forces in February.
Myroshnykov also mentioned that Ukrainians are achieving similar, albeit less significant, progress on another part of the front, likely near Lyman, but details have not yet been released.
After the appointment of General Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, the Ukrainian General Staff began publishing fewer details about Russian attacks. It also stopped publishing front-line maps. Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat explained why, according to the Liga.net portal.
"Twenty-eight ballistic missiles arrive, and we publish an official report, 28/0. The result is: 'The Air Force did not shoot down a single missile,' and all our media write about it, while that report spreads across the country. Enemy sources then simply take a screenshot and publish it on their platforms, giving it massive coverage," Ihnat said.
On Wednesday, Ukrainians also carried out one of the largest attacks on the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the port of Novorossiysk. According to Zelensky, a wide arsenal of weapons was used, including Palianytsia, Peklo, and Bars drone-missiles, the Neptune anti-ship missile, and nine types of aerial and naval drones. The attack also hit two frigates armed with Kalibr missiles, although the extent of the damage is not yet clear.
