Ukraine claims eight settlements recaptured in southern push

TRT World ^ | February 23, 2026 | Staff

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

Ukraine has regained control of 400 square kilometres of territory, including eight settlements, along a section of the southern frontline since the end of January, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has said.

Syrskyi's statement on Monday did not make clear how much of the newly secured territory had previously been under Russian control and how much lay in "grey zone" areas not firmly held by either side.

The rare battlefield gains in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region stand in contrast to the broader trend of slow and costly Russian advances across the frontlines over the past two and a half years, as the war nears its fourth anniversary.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: lolukrainiswinning; proxywar; putinthewarpig; russia; russiankeywordtroll; russiansuicide; tothelastukrainian; ukraine; ukrainiswinninglol; vladtheimploder; welfarewar; zeeperporn

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "The rare battlefield gains ....."

Rare? That's what the Turkish web page called it, as the reported Merz' "astonishing gains" view as well. So, astonishing and rare?

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[Brellium]

Westerns sources has Russian gains for the entire year of 2025 at around 520-540 kilometers.

Russian sources are around 900 Kilometers for that same year.

So Ukraine has either retaken about 75% their land from Russia in less than a month compared to the Russians for the year, or about 45% if you can trust the Russian sources.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

Thanks for the comment.

Now, what does one do when one does not trust either the Russian government's or the Ukrainian government's sources, not those "Western sources" repeating Russian or Ukrainian propaganda?

Arguing back and forth on a comment laden thread seems the thing in the moment.

Personally, I'll wait to see how things end. And hope our President Trump doesn't get too deeply involved in the ebb and flow of the propaganda which has flowed these many years.

[alexander_busek]

Now, what does one do when one does not trust either the Russian government's or the Ukrainian government's sources, not those "Western sources" repeating Russian or Ukrainian propaganda?

How about point out the few indisputable facts that we do know:

1. Putin ordered the Russian invasion of Ukraine (he didn't have to, and no other head of state in the world would have chided him, months or years later, if he hadn't; it was all Putin's choice!);
2. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has already lasted longer than the Soviet involvement in World War II (i.e., Putin has been firebombing Ukrainian civilian centers longer than the Red Army fought against Hitler);
3. While the front lines are still somewhat fluid, net territorial gains are paltry (i.e., Putin's invasion forces have been fought to a virtual standstill).

Regards,

[dforest]

Rare means that it didn’t happen. Obviously there is a push on to rekindle interest in this debacle.

[Petrosius]

Russian mil bloggers are reporting this and panicking.

[wildcard_redneck]

What country has lost nearly half of its population in this war?

The Ukraine is a zombie proxy state ruled by bought-and-paid-for criminals and populated by helpless political prisoners.

[wildcard_redneck]

In 1943 Hitler saved Mussolini from his fellow Italians. How did that work out for either of them.

Mussolini was hung by his countrymen

Hitler committed suicide as the Russians blue weapons bunker around him

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "How about point out the few indisputable facts that we do know...."

I'm fine with all that you pen to opine. Your Number One is obviously correct, as a government orders its military to war; ours and yours also. Your Number two is correct, but our involvement in Vietnam lasted nineteen years, so arguing metrics is just arguing metrics. As a Vietnam era Army guy, I think in those terms. Your Number Three is just a reflection of all these threads, which is why counting the metric of land is one but not the only metric. Which "remains standing" at the conclusion of the war is the only metric, in the end. I'll wait to see that, when it happens.

Given that these United States represents about four percent of the world's population, the notion that President Trump is under the proverbial gun to solve this is odd. Given:

“500 million Europeans are asking 300 million Americans to defend them against 140 million Russians. [...] Europe today lacks the belief that we are truly a global force.”

Polish PM Donald Tusk, speaking before his flight to London for the European Ukraine summit: X, 2 March 2025

An indisputable fact is that nations of all sorts in all eras settle their differences and animosities by war, when words fail.

It seems, based on the rhetoric of some European Union members, that it becomes time for the "coalition of the willing" to willingly join in the fray. But they are most careful to add to the "contract" AFTER. After peace negotiations are concluded, or AFTER the United States "guarantees," and the like.

Governments and their leaders change. Most recently, Scholz to Merz. Hollande to Macron. Sunak to Starmer. Medvedev to Putin. Biden to Trump. Poroshenko to Zelensky. Even Juncker to von der Leyen. So, governments change. Seems time and past time for many governments to change. Even Russia's and even Ukraine's. In the meantime, war continues with those in charge.

And so many of those sterling leaders, as above, are waiting for one leader to solve the mess. President Trump. All this time, the others should have been called "The Coalition of the Willing to Get Trump to Solve our Problems."

[tlozo]

Ukraine claims eight settlements recaptured in southern push

Due to Musk's shutdown of Russian Starlink. Suddenly Ukraine has a clear drone/intelligence advantage

Ukrainian forces have launched counterattack operations in the Russian-occupied parts of the Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine and almost completely liberated that area from the Russian invasion forces.

[tlozo]

The disruption comes as Russia suffers its worst death rate since the start of the four-year-old war, US and Ukrainian intelligence officials tell The Post — threatening the Kremlin’s ability to replace those forces sent to slaughter by Vladimir Putin.

“On any given day, depending on your scale of analysis, my sector was already achieving 20:1 [casuality rate] before the shutdown. And we are an elite unit,” a unit commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps who goes by the codename “Jackie” told The Post, referring to inflicting 20 Russian casualties for every one suffered by their side.

“Regular units have no problem going 5:1 or 8:1.”

“With Starlink down, 13:1 [casualty rate] for a regular unit is easy,” he added.

While Russian-to-Ukrainian casualty ratios vary across the battlefield, the imbalance got as high as 27 Russian losses for every Ukrainian when they fought to regain the key city of Kupiansk in December, according to a Bloomberg report Monday citing an intelligence assessment provided to the British military

https://nypost.com/2026/02/16/world-news/elon-musks-starlink-crackdown-cripples-russian-attacks-on-ukraine-as-casualty-rates-soar/

[JimRed]

What is left of those settlements after Russian occupation?

[Brellium]

The fates of two dictators who invaded other countries..

It's said that Putin continuously watches the (snuf) film of Gaddafi being pulled out of an irrigation pipe and his death (being impaled by a bayonet rectally), in fear of what will happen to him.

[wildcard_redneck]

There’s only one thing more foolish than a retard, a retard that believes British “news” sources.

[Brellium]

There’s only one thing more foolish than a retard, a retard that believes British “news” sources.

Present company excluded, obviously.

[Chad_the_Impaler]

Russia’s long-term operational goal to push toward Kryvyi Rih is now far less feasible.