Through assault and counterattack operations, Ukraine’s Defense Forces have de-occupied more than 300 square kilometers in the south, regaining control around the Hulyaipole area and adjacent sectors of the Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukrainian units are conducting counterattacks and assault actions, shrinking the so-called “gray zone,” Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces, told RBC-Ukraine.
Since the operation began in late January, Ukrainian troops have restored control over some 300 square kilometers, he said.
According to Voloshyn, control was also reestablished over several settlements along the administrative boundary between the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Up to 50 clashes are taking place daily in the Hulyaipole and Oleksandrivka sectors, he added, noting the operation remains in an active phase and it’s too early to draw final conclusions.
Since the start of the day, Russian forces have attacked Ukrainian defenders 75 times, with the most engagements recorded around Hulyaipole, Ukraine’s General Staff said in its update. Ukraine’s Defense Forces are holding the line and inflicting significant losses, it added.
On the Hulyaipole axis, there were 27 attacks in and around Hulyaipole and toward Zheleznodorozhne, Staroukrainka, Sviatopetrivka, Zelenyi, Varvarivka, Dobropillia, Zahorne and Horkoho. Six assaults were still ongoing. Russian forces also carried out airstrikes near Rozivka, Gyrke, Zheleznodorozhne, Myrne, Hulyaipilske, Luhivske and Charivne.
On February 20, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s Defense Forces had liberated 300 square kilometers of territory from Russian control.
Separately, Ivan Tymochko, head of the Council of Reservists, argued that Ukrainian actions in the Zaporizhzhia sector should not be labeled a counteroffensive. He said Ukraine’s command is using a tailored tactic that inflicts Russian losses even without Ukrainian assaults.
On February 19, commenting on the situation near Hulyaipole, Voloshyn said Ukrainian forces were clearing out saboteurs and pushing Russian troops back before they could dig in. Ukrainian troops are acting “proactively” to reduce the “gray zone,” he said, adding that this may give Russian forces the impression a larger offensive is underway.
