Zaporizhzhia counteroffensive

In late January 2026, Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive in northern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, advancing 10-12 km in two drives through Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. By mid-March they had reclaimed 460 sq km and eight settlements, the first sustained net Ukrainian territorial gain since the 2023 counteroffensive. Ukraine's Air Assault Forces alone recaptured 285.6 sq km in February, more than the roughly 120 sq km Russia seized that month.

The offensive forced Russia to redeploy elite airborne and naval infantry away from the Donetsk axis. The Institute for the Study of War assessed the advance had "significantly complicated Russia's plans" for a spring offensive toward Orikhiv. ISW data showed Russia recorded net territorial losses across the entire front for the first time since 2023, its advance rate decelerating fivefold from 130-150 sq km per week in mid-2025 to 33-50 sq km per week by February 2026.

Zelenskyy claimed on 16 March that the counteroffensive had "disrupted a Russian strategic offensive operation that the enemy had planned for this March." Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi confirmed Russia had responded by making Zaporizhzhia its primary axis, concentrating "large numbers of troops and resources." The operation gave Kyiv its strongest negotiating position since 2023 ahead of Washington talks.