Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Defense Forces have regained control of up to 435 square kilometers of territory in the south. Thus, Kyiv is thwarting Russia's plans in this direction. The head of state said this at a joint briefing with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Ettjen in Kyiv.
"In the south of our country, over the past month and a half, the (Army of Ukraine — ed.) has carried out a number of important defensive actions and, in some areas, offensive actions. The actions were exclusively aimed at disrupting the plans of the Russian Federation. We believe that they were quite successful - we have restored control over about 400-435 km," — said Zelensky.
He noted that this direction remains difficult, but now everyone is "more positive" than it was at the end of 2025. The Head of State emphasized that the actions of the Ukrainian military have thwarted the Russians' plans in this direction.
The president also added that the Kremlin's plans for the spring offensive have not changed. The occupiers still want to take eastern Ukraine, namely Donbas.
"The main goals are the east of our state, the capture of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In principle, their plans have not changed, they are being postponed due to the fact that they are not able to do this with the means and forces that they currently have and due to the actions, respectively, of our Armed Forces," — Zelensky summarized.
