An analysis by AFP of data from the Institute for the Study of War shows that Ukrainian forces recaptured about 201 square kilometers of territory from Russian forces between Wednesday and Sunday last week, the largest such gain in roughly 2½ years. This advance nearly matches the territory Russia gained in December 2025 and is the most land Ukraine has retaken in a short period since the counteroffensive in June 2023. The gains were concentrated mainly east of Zaporizhzhia, and analysts linked the improved Ukrainian performance to disruptions in Russian battlefield communications, following a shutdown of Starlink access used by Russian units, reports the Kyiv Post. The KP writes:

Ukraine recaptured 201 square kilometres (78 square miles) from Russia between Wednesday and Sunday last week, taking advantage of a Starlink shutdown for Russian forces, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Deep State Screen Shot from Feb 12th 2026

Deep State Screen Shot from Feb 17th 2026

The recaptured area is almost equivalent to the Russian gains for the entire month of December and is the most land retaken by Kyiv’s forces in such a short period since a June 2023 counter-offensive. […]

On February 5, military observers noted disruption of the Starlink antennas used by Moscow on the front lines, following announcements by Elon Musk of “measures” to end the Kremlin’s use of this technology. […]

The recaptured land is concentrated mainly around 80 kilometres east of the city of Zaporizhzhia, in an area where Russian troops have made significant progress since the summer of 2025. […]

Moscow controlled 19.5 percent of Ukrainian territory, either fully or partially, in mid-February, compared with 18.6 percent a year earlier.

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