Ukraine marked the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion with territorial gains in the south. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told AFP on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had regained 300 square kilometers in southern Ukraine. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskii later stated these gains were 400 square kilometers and occurred since late January.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) attributed Kyiv's successes to Starlink disconnecting illegal Russian terminals and partial disruption of Telegram services, which Russian troops used for military communications. Limited Ukrainian counterattacks may have disrupted Russia's preparations for a spring offensive.

Russia launched two major drone and missile barrages around the war anniversary. Ukraine intercepted most aerial targets. Defense ministry adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov noted Russia appears to be using its full production capacity.

Ukraine has launched a strategic campaign targeting Russian weapons and fuel supply chains. On February 21, Ukrainian-made FP-5 "Flamingo" missiles struck the Votkinsk missile plant in Russia's Udmurtia. Missile expert Fabian Hoffman called it "the first successful Ukrainian strike against a core target of Russia's missile industry using heavy missile capability."

Source: www.aljazeera.com