Russian advances threaten gains in Eastern Ukraine
The Russian military captured 184 square miles of Ukrainian territory in October, marking a record since March 2022, according to an analysis by AFP based on data from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
By 27 October, Russian forces had gained more territory than in August and September 2024, with 184 and 177 square miles respectively, following significant changes at the front, particularly in eastern Ukraine, in the region of the city of Pokrovsk.
Two-thirds of the territory captured by Russia, approximately 125 square miles, is situated in the eastern part of Donbas.
The Russian troops are currently a few miles from Pokrovsk, approaching from the south and east.
These advances underscore the challenges faced by the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine, where it encounters better-armed Russian soldiers who outnumber Kyiv's forces, AFP reports.
Moscow's army is also capturing territory on the northern front, occupying over 15 square miles in the region of Kupiansk.
This town was seized by Russian forces in the early stages of the war and was then retaken by Ukraine in a counteroffensive in September 2022. The last time Russia made such progress was in March 2022, when it advanced towards the capital, Kyiv, at the beginning of the war.
At that time, the front line was much more fluid than it is today.
Throughout 2023, Russian forces gained only 225 square miles of Ukrainian territory.
Russians occupy Ukrainian land
However, since 1 January 2024, they have already captured over 1,027 square miles, an area slightly larger than Moscow. From the start of the war, 24 February 2022, to 27 October 2024, Russia has seized 25,938 square miles of Ukrainian land.
Russia currently controls 18.2% of the territory that was part of Ukraine before 2014. This includes Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, as well as parts of eastern Ukraine that were controlled by pro-Russian separatists before the February 2022 offensive.
Earlier, Major General of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Dmytro Marchenko, stated that the Ukrainian army continues to lose positions in the Donetsk region, and Russian forces have practically seized Selydove.
"The front has collapsed": Russians enter Selydove
- I will not reveal military secrets if I say that the front has collapsed. Unfortunately, Russians have entered Selydove and are fortifying their position. I think they will soon surround it and completely capture it, which would give them tactical access to Pokrovsk. This is very bad for us - he said.
According to the General, this situation has resulted from a lack of ammunition, weapons, and personnel. Another reason for the difficult situation was referred to as a "lack of balance in management".
On 27 October, Bild military analyst Julian Röpcke stated that the front in the southern Donetsk region is "collapsing". He noted that within just three days, Russian forces took control of eight Ukrainian localities. According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are losing "from two to five miles per day, and at this rate, it will take Russia about half a year to reach the Dnipropetrovsk region".
