The counteroffensive began in January and has been ongoing since then. Ukrainian airborne forces, together with other units, have recaptured a total of 745 square kilometres of occupied land in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.
According to Zelenskyy, at least 9,550 Russian soldiers have been killed and more than 6,600 wounded during the operations. Ukraine has also taken many prisoners of war.
“This offensive operation was carried out with precision - exactly as planned,” Zelenskyy writes.
Attack on naval base
Earlier on Wednesday, Zelenskyy announced other Ukrainian successes in the war.
The country's military has attacked the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk, which Zelenskyy describes as "the last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, more than 300 kilometres from the front line."
“Our Paljanytsia and Neptun missiles and unmanned naval systems successfully hit the designated targets. Hits on air defence positions, piers and seaport infrastructure have been confirmed,” Zelenskyy writes on X.
Stopped operations
Two of Russia's largest grain terminals in Novorossiysk have halted operations after damage from Ukrainian drone attacks overnight, sources told Reuters.
According to industry sources, the two terminals, with export capacities of 8.5 million and 7.1 million tons of grain per year respectively, will cease operations while the damage is assessed.
According to Veniamin Kondratiev, governor of the Russian Krasnodar region where Novorossiysk is located, a wave of Ukrainian attacks has been directed at the area and has claimed at least two civilian lives, including an eight-year-old child.
