Russian forces gain ground in Pokrovsk, Ukrainian front struggles
The Russian military captured 480 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in October, setting a record since March 2022, according to an AFP analysis 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 (respectively 477 and 459 square kilometres), following significant changes on the frontline, particularly in eastern Ukraine, near the city of Pokrovsk.
Two-thirds of the territories seized by Russia, amounting to 324 square kilometres, are located in the eastern part of the Donbas.
Russian forces are currently just a few miles from Pokrovsk, approaching the city from the south and east.
These advances highlight the challenges faced by the Ukrainian army in embattled Eastern Ukraine, where it encounters better-equipped Russian soldiers who outnumber Kyiv's forces, writes AFP.
The Moscow army is also capturing territory on the northern front, seizing over 39 square kilometres in the Kupiansk area.
This city was taken by Russian forces in the early stages of the war and later recaptured by Ukraine in a counteroffensive in September 2022. The last time Russia made such advances was in March 2022, when it moved towards the capital, Kyiv, at the war's outset.
At that time, the frontline was much more fluid than today.
Throughout 2023, Russian forces captured only 583 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory.
The Russians occupy Ukrainian land
However, since 1 January 2024, they have already occupied over 2,660 square kilometres, an area slightly larger than the size of Moscow. From the beginning of the war on 24 February 2022 to 27 October 2024, Russia has seized 67,179 square kilometres 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. It also encompasses areas of eastern Ukraine that were controlled by pro-Russian separatists before the February 2022 offensive.
Earlier, Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmytro Marchenko stated that the Ukrainian military continues to lose positions in the Donetsk region, and Russian forces have practically taken Selydove.
"The front has collapsed". Russians entered Selydove
- I won’t reveal a military secret by saying that the front has collapsed. Unfortunately, Russians have entered Selydove and are fortifying there. I think in the near future, they will encircle it and capture it completely, granting them tactical access to Pokrovsk. This is very bad for us - he said.
According to the general, this situation resulted from a lack of ammunition, weaponry, and personnel. Another cause of the difficult situation was termed as "lack of balance in management".
On 27 October, military analyst for Bild Julian Röpke stated that the front in the southern Donetsk region is "collapsing". He noted that in just three days, Russian forces took control of eight Ukrainian settlements. According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are losing "from 1 to 3 kilometres a day, and at this pace, it will take Russia about half a year to reach the Dnipropetrovsk region".
