Since the Ukrainian army failed in its second attempt at a counteroffensive during the war to reclaim Bakhmut and cut the Russian land connection to Crimea, the situation on the Ukrainian front has remained stable but unfavourable for Kyiv. In a context of positional warfare, Russian forces have exploited their numerical advantage to wear down the adversary and slowly advance, albeit at the cost of casualties. For the first time in over two years, this dynamic has changed on the battlefield. According to data released this week by the Ukrainian war analysis platform DeepState, in February the Russians managed to seize 126 square kilometres of territory, which represents half of what they conquered in January and less than 30% compared to December. Since June 2024, Russia had not obtained as little territory in Ukraine as in February of this year, when its armed forces occupied 115 square kilometres.
The tide is turning on the front: Russia slows its advance and Ukraine gains ground.
