On Monday, Syrskyi announced via the Telegram messaging platform that Ukrainian forces had reclaimed over 600 square kilometers of territory to date in 2026. Specifically, he noted that during May alone, the territory recaptured exceeded 100 square kilometers more than the area lost. While Syrskyi did not specify the precise locations of these gains, he stated that Ukrainian forces continue to maintain the initiative in certain sectors along the 1,200-kilometer frontline. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy previously corroborated this figure last month, stating that approximately 600 square kilometers had been recaptured in 2026.

Reuters was unable to independently verify these assertions. Determining precise lines of territorial control in Ukraine remains challenging due to drone warfare, which has established extensive "kill zones" and no-man's-land along the front. However, independent organizations monitoring the battlefield have reported that Russia's overall territorial advances have slowed or reversed in recent months, a trend not observed since the failed Ukrainian counter-offensive in 2023.

Syrskyi indicated that Russian forces continue to attempt advances in eastern and southern Ukraine, noting a substantial increase in the frequency of daily battlefield clashes and characterizing the frontline situation as "difficult and dynamic." He identified the area surrounding the eastern city of Pokrovsk, which Russia has sought to capture entirely since mid-2024, as one of the most intense combat zones. Conversely, DeepState, an independent Ukrainian battlefield mapping initiative, has depicted Pokrovsk as fully under Russian control for several weeks, following Russia's claim of its capture in December.

Additionally, Syrskyi highlighted the Oleksandrivka and Huliaipole regions in the southeast and south as areas experiencing the most severe fighting. In the initial months following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian forces successfully reclaimed significant territory through a series of counterstrikes. However, a major Ukrainian counter-offensive in 2023 was unsuccessful, allowing Moscow to achieve steady territorial gains thereafter. Earlier this year, Ukraine launched a push in the south and southeast, which analysts suggest disrupted Moscow's spring offensive and its operations around Pokrovsk.