The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, reported that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are actively trying to seize the initiative on the front, forcing the enemy to operate according to Ukrainian rules and adjust its own operational plans.
This is reported by Finway
Progress on the Front and Counteroffensive Operations
According to Syrsky, over the past month, Ukrainian troops have regained a larger area of territory than the Russian army was able to capture in the same period. This result has been recorded for the first time since the Kursk operation in 2024. In particular, during a working meeting on the results of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s activities in February 2026, he noted that counteroffensive actions are ongoing in the Oleksandrivka direction, where units of the Air Assault Forces have regained 285.6 square kilometers of territory in a month. Overall, within the framework of this operation, control has been restored over more than 400 square kilometers of Ukrainian land.
“We continue the counteroffensive operation in the Oleksandrivka direction. Here, the grouping of the Air Assault Forces has regained control over 285.6 square meters in a month. In total, since the beginning of the operation, control has been restored over more than 400 square kilometers of territory.”
On other sections of the front, active defense continues, and in some places, Ukrainian units are managing to advance. According to Syrsky, despite the significant numerical superiority of the enemy (almost threefold), the Russian army is forced to postpone the dates of its planned operations, patch gaps in its defense, and redeploy troops from other directions due to the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Powerful Strikes on Russian Infrastructure and International Assistance
Oleksandr Syrsky also provided data on strikes by the Defense Forces on Russian territory in February: Ukrainian long-range systems hit 85 targets. The cumulative effect of these attacks is a 24.8% reduction in oil processing volumes in Russia. Notably, a successful missile strike was recorded on the Votkinsk plant in Udmurtia, which produces Iskander-M missiles, Oreshniks, and others. Additionally, in February, there was an 18% decrease in the use of FPV drones by the Russians, which is likely a result of Ukrainian military strikes on enemy drone warehouses.
During the meeting, Syrsky also emphasized the importance of working on logistics, engineering and fortification measures, restoring the combat readiness of units, and maintaining order in the troops. According to him, not all tasks can be accomplished easily, but the analysis of mistakes and efforts to correct them are ongoing. In particular, commanders are requesting reinforcement with armored vehicles, and this issue is gradually being addressed.
A positive trend is also observed regarding international military assistance: in February, its volumes increased somewhat. At the same time, the main source of replenishing equipment remains domestic restoration and repair. In February, this indicator increased by almost 25% compared to January.
Additionally, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that in the southern direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces regained control over up to 435 square kilometers of territory.
ISW analysts note that in the second half of February 2026, Ukrainian forces liberated more territory than they lost for the first time since the summer of 2023, indicating a restoration of the initiative in certain areas of the front.