(Paris) Russia has taken control of nearly 200 km2 in July in eastern Ukraine, mainly in the Donetsk region, accelerating its territorial gains compared to the previous month, according to an AFP analysis on Wednesday based on data from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed the Western ban on Ukraine striking deep into Russian territory and the lack of material assistance for Russia’s territorial gains in recent months.
“Do you think it is possible to stop (the Russians) if only three (Ukrainian brigades) out of 14 are equipped?” he said in an interview with several French media outlets, including AFP, conducted on Tuesday and published on Wednesday.
The Russian advance in July, however, remains half that of May (449 km², 14.5 km² per day), at the start of the new Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, which has since been halted. It was then the biggest monthly advance since March 2022, at the very beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In total, since the beginning of 2024, Russia has conquered 1,246 km², significantly more than in the whole of 2023 (584 km²).2). This progress remains limited, however, since it is equivalent to 0.2% of the Ukrainian territory of 2014 and has not given rise to any decisive breakthrough despite heavy losses.
In detail, between 1er and on July 30, 198 km2 were conquered by Moscow (6.6 km2 per day on average), including 155 km2 were in the Donetsk region (east) alone, where Russian forces are pushing towards the cities of Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Chassiv Yar in order to then attack the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Russian earnings for the past month are up from June’s (129 km24.3 km2 per day).
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has gained 65,776 km as of July 302 of Ukrainian territory. With Crimea annexed in 2014 and the eastern areas already under Russian control before the outbreak of the invasion, this is 107,956 km2 which are occupied by Russia, i.e. 18% of Ukraine according to its internationally recognized borders.
AFP’s calculations are based on files communicated daily by the ISW, which relies on public information released by both camps and the analysis of satellite images.