Ukrainian forces have liberated nearly all Russian-occupied areas of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, with only three small settlements still requiring clearance, a senior Ukrainian general said in an interview with the outlet RBC-Ukraine.
While most of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has remained outside direct ground fighting, Russian advances through neighboring Donetsk Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast pushed the front line into a small part of the region’s eastern border area.
Ukraine pushes Russian forces back on the Oleksandrivsk axis
Major General Oleksandr Komarenko, head of the Main Operational Directorate of Ukraine’s General Staff, said Ukrainian troops had pushed Russian forces back during ongoing offensive operations near the border of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
“Almost the entire territory of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has been liberated,” Komarenko said. “We still need to finish work in three small settlements and clear two more.”
How Ukraine recaptured 400 square kilometers
The advances come as Ukrainian forces conduct a planned offensive operation on the Oleksandrivsk axis at the junction of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast, an area where Russian troops had attempted to push forward earlier.
According to Komarenko, Ukrainian troops have already recaptured more than 400 square kilometers during the operation. Additional areas have undergone follow-up sweeps to eliminate small groups of Russian troops that had infiltrated behind Ukrainian lines.
The operation has involved airborne assault and assault units supported by mechanized brigades already defending the sector, the general said.
Russia's "buffer zone" plan and February's territorial balance
Komarenko added that the Russian push into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast aimed to create what Moscow describes as a “buffer zone,” part of its broader effort to expand control near the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s recent advances on this axis contributed to a net territorial gain in February, he said, with Ukrainian forces reclaiming more territory than Russia captured during the same period.
Despite the gains, Komarenko described the overall situation on the battlefield as “difficult but controlled.” Russian forces continue to concentrate major efforts on the Pokrovsk direction and the Oleksandrivsk sector, which he said remain among the most contested areas of the front.
