Overview

• Russia's territorial gains in Ukraine have slowed to as low as a fifth of their November 2024 pace, with March 2025 seeing only 55 square miles captured, according to Western analyses.
• Most of Russia's recent advances are concentrated in the Donetsk region, but analysts note that these gains have not significantly improved Moscow's operational position.
• Ukrainian counterattacks, particularly around Toretsk and Pokrovsk in Donetsk, have reversed some of Russia's earlier territorial progress and contributed to the slowdown in Russian advances.
• Russia's strategy of small ground assaults continues to result in high casualty rates, with thousands of soldiers reportedly killed or wounded daily during peak fighting.
• Ukraine has accused Russia of spreading disinformation about territorial gains in the Sumy region, while Moscow claims it holds the 'strategic initiative' across the frontline.