745 km² recaptured in Ukraine’s eight-month Oleksandrivka counteroffensive, Kyiv says

In the course of an eight-month counteroffensive that commenced on 29 January, Ukrainian forces managed to reclaim a total of 745 square kilometers and 26 villages across Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's announcement on 12 August. The operation, led by the Airborne Assault Forces and their attached units, aimed to prevent Russian forces from advancing further and force them to retreat beyond the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Russian losses are estimated at a minimum of 9,550 killed and over 6,600 wounded. Ukraine continues to capitalize on these gains, adding to the pool of prisoners available for exchange. Since the 2023 counteroffensive faltered, Ukraine has predominantly focused on defense, only occasionally mounting offensive operations due to Western aid uncertainty and stretched resources.

The Oleksandrivka counteroffensive marked a significant deviation from this pattern, with Ukrainian forces actively pushing forward within their own Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, rather than on Russian territory. This development not only benefited Ukraine but also hampered Russia across the entire frontline. Over the past six months, Ukrainian forces have been making continuous progress, a testament to improved planning, enhanced air defense suppression, deeper strikes against Russian supply lines, tactical drone superiority, and the Starlink cutoff on February 1, which impacted Russian forces in Ukraine.

Geolocated footage from 11 August revealed Ukrainian positions southeast of Ternuvate and Vozdvyzhivka, contradicting Russian claims of advances in those areas. While Ukraine's reported gains of 745 km² in the Oleksandrivka direction exceed ISW's estimate of 627 km², both sources agree that the total Ukrainian advances across the Oleksandrivka and northern Huliaipole directions are lower than previously reported.