In October, the Russian military made consistent progress in Ukraine by concentrating its offensives on the eastern Donetsk area, according to an analysis by the AFP utilizing data from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
This area has experienced some of the fiercest combat during the nearly four-year conflict, and Ukraine is currently working hard to maintain control over the vital city of Pokrovsk.
ISW’s analysis, conducted in collaboration with the Critical Threats Project, indicated that Russia captured 461 square kilometers (286 square miles) from Ukrainian forces within the month.
This rate of territorial acquisition aligns with the average monthly gains observed this year, down from a spike in July when Russia took control of 634 square kilometers.
Currently, Russia claims to hold 81% of the Donetsk region, which it asserts has been annexed and is now striving to gain complete control over it.
Moscow has insisted that Ukraine retract its military presence from this region, as well as from Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, positioning this as a prerequisite for peace negotiations, a demand that Kyiv has deemed unacceptable.
Multiple negotiation attempts have failed to resolve the stalemate regarding how to conclude the conflict.
Overall, Russia asserts control or claims dominion over 19.2% of Ukraine, which includes the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014, along with parts of Donetsk and Luhansk seized by separatists supported by Moscow prior to the full-scale invasion launched in 2022.
The critical logistics center of Pokrovsk, which Moscow has aimed to capture for over a year, has faced intensified attacks in recent weeks.
Ukraine’s 7th Air Assault Brigade announced on Monday that its “operation to liberate Pokrovsk from occupants is ongoing,” with Kyiv deploying special forces to the area over the weekend.
They also reported that Russian troops were approaching the outskirts of the nearby city of Myrnohrad, which has endured heavy assaults from Russian forces for more than a year.
“The defense of the city has already been strengthened with additional forces,” the brigade stated.
Furthermore, the ISW data revealed that Russia seized 150 square kilometers of territory in the Dnipropetrovsk region, located west of Donetsk, during the same month.
This region is not among the five Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, that Moscow claims as its own.
At the peak of its invasion in March 2022, Russia controlled 27.7% of Ukraine. However, Kyiv successfully expelled Russian forces from significant portions of the eastern and southern regions thereafter.
