Ukraine says it has recaptured hundreds of square miles of territory from Russian forces.
If true, it would constitute one of Ukraine’s most successful ground operations this year, occurring at a time when Moscow is dramatically expanding its ballistic missile campaign, and Kyiv is struggling with a growing shortage of air defense interceptor missiles.
T-84 Tank from Ukraine War. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
T-84 Tank Ukraine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on August 12 that Ukrainian forces had recaptured 745 square kilometers – around 288 square miles – during an operation that began in January and ended in August along a section of the southeastern front.
Per Ukrainian officials, the operation liberated 26 settlements and pushed back Russian forces across parts of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia.
President Zelenskyy also said that the operation was conducted “exactly as planned” and claimed that almost 10,000 Russian troops were killed during the fighting.
The gains are surprising and positive news for Kyiv on the battlefield as the war enters a new phase that has seen tit-for-tat attacks on Russian and Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Twenty-six Settlements Liberated
The Ukrainian operation comes at the worst time for Russia, with Moscow seeking to dramatically escalate in eastern Ukraine, take full control of the Donbas, and then return to negotiations with a strengthened hand.
The operation, concentrated on a roughly 60-kilometer section of the front, sets Russia back ahead of a widely anticipated mobilization.
Russia first entered the Dnipropetrovsk region in June 2025, but the Ukrainian counteroffensive has now deprived Moscow of much of the territory it captured there.
Independent assessments have confirmed substantial Ukrainian gains recently, although the exact amount of territory captured remains disputed.
DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source battlefield monitoring group, confirmed that Ukrainian forces had regained 19 settlements and pushed Russian troops back in another six areas, Reuters reported.
The Institute for the Study of War has also documented significant Ukrainian advances in the region.
Some Ukrainian journalists have even challenged Kyiv’s official figures.
Yurii Butusov, a journalist and military analyst, argued on August 14 that only around 150 square kilometers had actually been liberated.
The operation nonetheless comes as Russia continues its costly offensive operations farther east, particularly around Donetsk.
Russia Loses Ground and Attacks from the Air
Russia is losing ground in eastern Ukraine right as it expands its use of ballistic and hypersonic weapons, which are considerably more difficult to intercept than the slower cruise missiles and drones that Ukraine has spent years learning to counter.
And the consequences have been dire, with Ukraine facing almost nightly ballistic missile strikes that are impossible for its forces to contain or prevent without new deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Russian missiles, drones, and glide bombs killed at least 10 people across Ukraine on August 11, including seven workers at a steel plant in Zaporizhzhia.
Zelenskyy said North Korean ballistic missiles were used in the attack.
The United Nations reported on Friday that at least 437 Ukrainian civilians were killed and 2,610 wounded in July, making it the deadliest month for civilians since May 2022. Long-range missiles and drones accounted for 38% of the fatalities.
Moscow Is Building More Ballistics
Russia’s ballistic missile campaign is not just the result of drawing from supplies built up before the war.
Moscow has been stockpiling ballistic weapons throughout the conflict, building more weapons and importing others from North Korea.
Ukrainian military intelligence says Moscow has deliberately restructured production to prioritize weapons that are hardest for Ukrainian air defenses to defeat.
Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, said Russian missile production is now exceeding planned 2026 targets by roughly 10% to 20%.
Russia produced an estimated 65 Iskander-M ballistic missiles in July alone and currently has roughly 130 in its inventory, Reuters reported.
In terms of North Korean support, Russia is understood to have deployed around 90 North Korean personnel with a missile unit around the Voronezh region, with as many as six launchers and 120 ballistic missiles.
At least 40 missiles had already been delivered as of early August, and more military support from the isolationist dictatorship is expected in the coming months.
The Fighting Continues
Elsewhere in eastern Ukraine, Russia is keeping up the pressure successfully across multiple axes in Donetsk.
Russian forces are showing particular strength around Kostiantynivka and the regions around the remaining Ukrainian-held cities.
Moscow is still committing large numbers of troops despite the heavy casualties, seeking new breakthroughs that could weaken Ukraine’s overall defensive network.
There have also been some localized gains this year, but the overall rate of advance appears to have slowed significantly, with reports this week suggesting Moscow’s territorial gains have decelerated this year.
Ukrainian counterattacks, meanwhile, are complicating Moscow’s plans to seize the remainder of Donetsk and consolidate control over the Donbas in the hopes of securing concessions at the next round of negotiations, whenever that may take place.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, producing and editing analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at 19FortyFive and National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
