The Ukrainian infantryman spent 22 days in a foxhole. Every attempt to climb up and advance toward a Russian-occupied village, he said, felt like a one-way trip.

“Constant mortar shelling. Drones flying overhead,” said the infantryman, who gave only his call sign, Knyaz, per military protocol. “Running and hiding under trees. Digging into the tree lines. Sleeping there. Living there.”

After a month of fighting, Knyaz’s unit liberated the village, which is no bigger than a few streets, in the northeastern region of Sumy, according to independent groups monitoring the battlefield. The village, Kindrativka, is one of two that Ukraine has retaken in the region this summer, and its forces are now pushing close to other Russian-held villages — modest gains that matter deeply to Kyiv.

The successful Ukrainian counterattack in Sumy, which borders Russia, is a rare twist on a battlefield dominated by Moscow’s forces. Since May, Russia has captured between 170 and 215 square miles of territory each month, according to DeepState, a group mapping battlefield changes. Ukrainian commanders emphasize in interviews that they are constantly outmanned and outgunned by Russia.

But reclaiming small areas of Sumy helps Ukraine counter Moscow’s narrative that Russian advances are unstoppable and that Kyiv should settle for a peace deal now, even if it means giving up territory. Moscow’s progress has stalled in Sumy to the point that it is moving troops from that area to other fronts, analysts say, including the eastern region of Donetsk, where it is trying to encircle several key cities.