Raj K reports in Medium:
Zaporizhzhia oblast is considered the most strategically sensitive area in southern Ukraine. For months, Russia had been trying to advance in this region because from here, pressure can be put on both southern Ukraine and the Donbas. But in many areas where Russia claims occupation, very few soldiers are actually present. Such a strategy is very risky (because a marginally larger force can overpower them). So Ukraine used armored vehicles, military equipment, and ground forces to gain advantage. After continuous counterattacks, the Ukrainian army regained control over several areas in Zaporizhzhia. This is not just a local win, but a major blow to Russia’s strategy on the southern front.
In recent times, a major change has been seen on the battlefield. The Ukrainian army has pushed back the Russian progress made over several months in a short time.
Especially on the southern front, the territorial gains that Russia had made have weakened in just a few days.
In today’s war, holding land is no longer permanent — an area under one side’s control today can quickly fall into the other side's hands.
In the language of war, this situation is called a grey zone. This means the war has spread not just on the front line but also ahead and behind it.
Ukraine’s counterattack in Zaporizhzhia Oblast
Zaporizhzhia Oblast is considered the most strategic and sensitive area in southern Ukraine. For many months, Russia had been trying to advance steadily in this region because from here, pressure can be put on both southern Ukraine and the Donbas area.
But after weeks of continuous counterattacks, the Ukrainian army has regained control over several disputed areas in Zaporizhzhia. This is not seen as just a local win, but as a major blow to Russia’s strategy on the entire southern front.
The special thing about this success is that Ukraine used large-scale mechanized resources — that is, armored vehicles, military equipment, and organized ground forces — after a long time.
In the past months, the war was mainly based on drones and small-scale clashes, but this time, a combination of traditional military power and modern technology was used in the attack.
Definition of Grey Zone
In earlier wars, the “front line” meant a clear boundary — one side the enemy, the other side your own army, and a clear war zone in between. But now this system has almost ended.
In its place, a wide grey zone has formed, which stretches about 5 to 15 kilometers. This is an area where neither side has full control. It is not completely under Russia’s occupation, nor under Ukraine’s.
The reason for the creation of the grey zone is new war strategies and technology. Russia often sends small groups of soldiers forward, who move slowly on foot.
These soldiers advance several kilometers alone or in pairs of two and hide in a village or building to maintain their presence.
But such a strategy is very risky because Ukrainian drone operators are constantly. As soon as any activity is seen, an attack can come from above. Because of this, such soldiers often suffer heavy losses.
Another important aspect of this situation is that in many villages or areas where Russia claims occupation, very few soldiers are actually present. In many places, they are used only as temporary bases or transit points.
In many cases, Ukrainian soldiers are also hiding in the same area. That is, “occupation” is now not stable or fully controlled, but a temporary and disputed situation.
For this reason, some military analysts say that the traditional concept of the front line has almost ended. The war is now being fought in a “fluid” state, meaning a constantly changing situation.
Here, the most important thing is not permanent control over land, but three capabilities — to observe the enemy (observe), to strike at him (strike), and to survive yourself (survive).
The same thing happened in Zaporizhzhia, too. Russia used to send soldiers in small groups, and once these soldiers reached the grey zone, their only goal was to survive.
The progress that Russia showed in 3 months, Ukraine pushed it back 5–10 kilometers. Similarly, last year in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and other areas during the summer, Russia’s progress was also reversed.
On February 15, Russia claimed that it had taken almost 13% of the city of Mirnohrad under its control. But later, the news related to this claim was removed because the video shown as proof turned out to be an old video from December 2025.
Before this, the Russian Defense Ministry had also claimed on December 31, 2025, the “liberation” of the entire city, and later, the claim of 30% control over the city was also withdrawn.
This situation shows that in war, “claims” and “ground reality” can be different. On many military maps, Mirnohrad is shown under Russian control, but in reality, this area has become a grey zone.
Technical expansion
The biggest reason for the major change we have seen in the direction of the war is that SpaceX stopped providing Starlink service to the Russian army.
According to reports, the Russian army was using Starlink terminals in many places in unauthorized or indirect ways.
When these terminals were blocked, Russian units suddenly lost communication and internet.
In modern war, a lack of communication means breaking the coordination of orders, affecting drone operations, and causing difficulty in planning attacks.
According to analysts, it is not easy to jam Starlink technically. It is considered a very fast and stable network, and to disrupt it, extremely expensive electronic warfare (EW) systems are needed, which are available only in limited numbers.
So when its use was stopped for Russia, there was no easy alternative immediately available.
Ukraine took advantage of this situation. When the opposing side’s communication ability weakens, its response becomes slow, and it faces difficulty in making large or organized attacks.
During this time, Ukraine got the opportunity to start small-level counterattacks or counter-offensives in some areas.
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