The ongoing Ukrainian offensive in the Dnipropetrovsk region is likely to limit Russian offensive operations in the Aleksandrovka direction and may soon threaten Russian offensive operations in the Gulyaipole direction. Ukrainian forces reportedly liberated over 400 square kilometers in the Aleksandrovka and Gulyaypole directions from late January 2026 to around March 10 in two separate attacks.
This is according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Ukrainian military observer Konstantin Mashovets reported on March 16 that Ukrainian forces have made additional tactical penetrations in the past week (since around March 9), including: entering Sychneve (east of Aleksandrovka), reaching the eastern outskirts of Voskresenska (east of Sychneve), advancing towards Novoivanovka (southeast of Aleksandrovka), entering and advancing into southeastern Novomykolaivka (north of Novoivanovka), and capturing Rybne (southwest of Novomykolaivka).
Mashovets' statements indicate that Ukrainian forces have likely liberated and Sichneve and Vorone (southwest of Sichneve). Mashovets assessed that elements of the Russian 39th Motorized Rifle Brigade (68th Army Corps [AK], Eastern Military District [EMD]), operating east of the Vovcha River, would likely have to withdraw to the Voskresenka-Maliyevka line (northeast of Aleksandrovka) to defend against Ukrainian counterattacks.
Mashovets noted that Ukrainian forces had advanced two kilometers from the Gulyaipole-Veliyka Novosilka road from the north, preventing Russian forces from using the road to conduct logistics or transport equipment, although Ukrainian forces had not yet crossed it.
Mashovets reported that Russian forces operating in the direction of Aleksandrovka had switched to conducting active defense rather than active offensive operations to limit the Ukrainian advance, which is consistent with the reduced pace of Russian ground operations in the area in recent weeks.
Mashovets reported that Russian forces still hold the Berezovo and Krasnogorskoe areas (both southeast of Aleksandrovka).
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov continues to reject any negotiated settlement that does not yield to all of Russia's demands, even if it does yield to Russia's territorial claims. At a joint press conference on March 16 with Kenyan Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi, Lavrov reiterated that Russia refuses to end the war even if Ukraine "recognizes the realities on the ground" and fully cedes Donbas to Russia.
Lavrov insisted that the current democratically elected Ukrainian government is the "root cause" of the conflict. for the war and referred to potential post-war European peacekeeping troops that would be deployed in Ukrainian-controlled territory as "occupation forces".
The Kremlin has repeatedly used the rhetoric of "root causes" to reiterate its maximalist demands, including clauses for NATO expansion, Ukrainian neutrality, "demilitarization" (reducing the Ukrainian army so that Ukraine cannot defend itself), and "denazification" (replacing the current Ukrainian government with a pro-Russian puppet government).
The Kremlin continues to publicly insist that it is unwilling to deviate from these demands even during trilateral talks with the United States and Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) has reportedly issued orders banning Russian soldiers from using Telegram. A Russian source published on March 14 claims of leaked Russian Defense Ministry orders banning soldiers from using Telegram and threatening to reassign disobedient personnel to assault units.
A Russian blogger claims that restricting Telegram could negatively impact Russian military operations, as "everything" Russian soldiers do is "connected with Telegram".
The blogger criticized the Kremlin's decision, noting that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov even recently admitted that Russian forces use Telegram for frontline communication.
The Kremlin continues to restrict Telegram domestically, creating the conditions for its complete blocking. Russian information technology (IT) experts told the Russian business publication "Kommersant" on March 16 that Russian authorities have already begun blocking Telegram, and "Kommersant" cites Russian internet monitor Sboy RF, which reports that Russians reported over 12,000 complaints about Telegram outages on March 15 and 6,000 complaints on March 14.
IT experts told Kommersant that Russian users have been unable to access Telegram from their home internet or via mobile data in regions where authorities have restricted access to whitelisted websites over the past day.
A Russian insider source claims that Russian authorities are gradually restricting Telegram's functionality, which is consistent with ISW's observations that the Kremlin has been gradually ramping up its censorship campaign throughout the war, before escalating in late 2025 to early 2026.
The Telegram outages reportedly significantly affected residents of Moscow-City and St. Petersburg, two major population centers that the Kremlin had previously sought to shield from the fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine.