Ukraine’s Defense Forces carried out a series of counterattacks on the southern front, bringing 12 settlements back under Kyiv’s control.
A disruption of Starlink satellite communications weakened Russian occupation forces, according to Ukrainian analysts. Ukraine’s Defense Forces seized the opportunity, launching several successful counterattacks in the south, reports military observer Konstantin Mashovets.
After Russia’s advances toward Pokrovsk and Kupiansk slowed, the heaviest fighting shifted to the southern part of the front line, especially the Zaporizhzhia region. There, Ukrainian forces began active offensive actions, concentrating around Huliaipole.
According to Ukrainian sources, Ukrainian units conducted a series of counterattacks in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions with armored support. As a result, 12 settlements were retaken, while intense battles continue in five more.
“It was possible, if not to stop the Russian offensive completely, then to reduce it to a tactical minimum. In some sectors, Ukrainian forces managed to push back the enemy’s forward units—by 9 to 9.5 kilometers in certain cases,” the expert said.
Ukraine has redeployed some of its best-prepared units to the Huliaipole area, and that move has paid off, analysts say. They caution this does not amount to a full-scale counteroffensive by the Defense Forces, but rather a limited offensive aimed at improving battlefield positions.
Military analyst Yan Matveyev says the main objective is to stabilize the front in Zaporizhzhia. He notes that Russian troops launched an offensive there in November and, by early January, captured the city of Huliaipole - progress that posed a direct threat to the fortified area of Orikhiv and, potentially, the city of Zaporizhzhia itself.
Now, Matveyev says, “the initiative has been seized along a front roughly 40 kilometers wide.”
The Ukrainian counterattacks coincided with Starlink access being blocked among Russian occupation units. Following the satellite communications shutdown and a subsequent Telegram blockage, Russian formations faced coordination problems, according to pro-war Russian bloggers, who described the situation as extremely tense. Some acknowledged Russian withdrawals, while Russia’s Defense Ministry and General Staff have not commented.
Ukraine’s military leadership traditionally does not disclose operational details and has issued no official statements about the current phase of fighting. The situation remains fluid.
