“The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated 200 square kilometers in just a few days”, - the Telegram channel “DW Glavnoe” wrote on February 17, citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
It is noted that since the counteroffensive in June 2023, Ukrainian troops had not recaptured so much territory in such a short time. For comparison, in December, according to ISW analysts, russians captured 244 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.
ISW explains the success of the Ukrainian offensive by the shutdown of Starlink terminals used by the russian army. Without Starlink, the Armed Forces of russia advanced for only one day last week; the rest of the time, the initiative was on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“Most of the offensive was concentrated in the Zaporizhzhia oblast, where russian troops had made significant advances since the summer of 2025. Ukrainian forces also achieved success in the Pokrovsk direction of the Donetsk oblast and in Kupiansk in the Kharkiv oblast”, - the message says.