Since 24 February 2025, marking the third anniversary of the Russian offensive, Russian troops have advanced 4,524 square kilometres (km²) inside Ukrainian territory — more than during the second and third years of the war combined, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Tuesday, citing data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
An additional 731 km² have been claimed by Moscow but not confirmed by the ISW, which works alongside the Critical Threats Project, part of the American Enterprise Institute.
The second year of the conflict, up to February 2024, ended in a relatively stable situation, while the following year saw the capture of 4,143 km² (plus 347 km² claimed but unconfirmed).
Of the 4,524 km² seized during the fourth year of the conflict, 2,701 km² are territories fully under Moscow’s control. The remaining 1,823 km² are areas where Russian forces advanced but did not establish full control.
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These territorial gains represent just 0.8% of Ukraine’s total territory. Overall, Moscow now occupies slightly more than 19% of Ukraine, most of which was taken during the first weeks of the conflict. Around 7% — including Crimea and areas of the Donbas — was already under Russian or pro-Russian separatist control before the February 2022 invasion.
The fourth year of the war was marked by negotiation rounds involving the warring parties and the United States, with U.S. President Donald Trump pushing for a diplomatic resolution.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian and Ukrainian positions “still differ” following the latest round of talks held in Geneva last Wednesday. On the battlefield, Russia’s main gain over the past 12 months was Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in eastern Ukraine. After surrounding the city for more than a year, the Russian army claimed its capture on 1 December.
Most Russian advances took place along the front line in the Donetsk Oblast, totaling 2,787 km², of which 2,020 km² were fully captured.
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In some sectors, Russian troops reached the borders of Donetsk Oblast, and their operations extended into neighboring Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Russian forces entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in June 2025 for the first time since the start of the conflict, and their operations there now cover at least 230 km².
