April 15 (Reuters) – Ukraine regained control of nearly 50 sq km (19 sq miles) of its territory from Russia in March, its army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Wednesday, building on its gains since the start of the year.
He added that with the change of weather conditions, Moscow’s forces have stepped up their offensive operations and were conducting them along almost the entire 1,200-km front line.
Syrskyi said the area around the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk, which Russia has been trying to capture fully since mid-2024, was among the most intense places of fighting in March.
He also singled out Oleksandrivka, Kostiantynivka, and Lyman directions in the southeast and east as “the hottest” spots during the month.
Ukrainian counterattacks in the southeast were helping to disrupt Russian efforts around Pokrovsk and the Russian spring offensive overall, military analysts have said.
Syrskyi said last week that Ukraine has regained control of 480 sq km of territory since late January and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy earlier this month described the frontline situation as the best for Ukraine since the middle of last year.
To reduce Russia’s offensive capabilities, Ukrainian forces have kept up a high pace of strikes on military, defence-industrial and other facilities in Russia, Syrskyi said.
In March, Ukraine struck 76 such targets including 15 facilities in the oil refining industry, he said.
Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian ports, refineries and fertiliser plants in an attempt to curb Moscow’s revenue from commodities exports as the Iran war drove up global prices.
(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Hugh Lawson)
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