Defense Forces liberate 300 square kilometers in southern regions – Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in an exclusive interview with AFP, Ukrinform reports.

"I won't go into too many details," he said regarding the achievements of the Ukrainian army. He added that "today I can congratulate our army first and foremost – all the defence forces – because as of today, 300 [square] kilometres have been liberated."

At the same time, Zelensky did not specify over what period this territory had been freed.

As noted, military bloggers suggested that some of these successes may have been achieved due to large-scale disruptions in the operation of Starlink terminals along the entire front after Elon Musk allegedly disabled them for Russian forces in response to a request from Kyiv.

Zelensky stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine took advantage of the situation but acknowledged that Ukrainian troops also experienced disruptions due to the outages.

"There are problems, there are challenges," he said, noting that the setbacks faced by the Russian side were "much more serious." He stressed that it cannot be said that Ukraine is losing the war against Russia: "You can't say that we're losing the war. Honestly, we're definitely not losing it, definitely. The question is whether we will win."

He added that "it is a very costly question."

The head of state also noted that "Both the Americans and the Russians say that if you want the war to end tomorrow, get out of Donbas."

Regarding security guarantees, Zelensky said that Kyiv wants European troops, which are planned to be deployed in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, to be positioned closer to the front line.

"We would like to see the contingent closer to the front line. Of course, no one wants to stand on the first line, and of course, Ukrainians would like our partners to stand with us on the front line," he said.

As Ukrinform reported, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that the situation in the Oleksandrivka sector and near Huliaipole remains difficult, but Ukraine's Defense Forces are conducting effective counteroffensive and assault operations.

Photo: Office of the President