Kathrine Frich
After months of steady movement on the battlefield, new data suggests a shift in momentum in Ukraine.
For the first time in more than two years, Russian forces appear to have failed to expand their control over Ukrainian territory during a full month.
Advance slows
Russian troops made no overall territorial gains in March, marking the first such pause since September 2023, according to an AFP analysis based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cited by Digi24.
The findings indicate a continued slowdown that began late last year, with February already seeing limited progress of just 123 square kilometres.
This represents the smallest monthly advance recorded since April 2024.
Mixed battlefield
While the front line remained largely static overall, developments varied across different regions.
In southeastern Ukraine, Russian forces lost ground, particularly in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where Ukrainian counteroffensives pushed back earlier advances.
Russian troops had entered the area in mid-2025 and once held more than 400 square kilometres, but that has now been reduced to around 144.
Pressure in east
Further north, however, Ukrainian forces faced increased pressure in the Donetsk region.
Russian units advanced roughly 50 square kilometres east of Sloviansk, an area seen as strategically important alongside nearby Kramatorsk.
These localized gains partially offset losses elsewhere along the front.
War in numbers
Despite the recent slowdown, Russia still controls just over 19 percent of Ukraine’s territory, much of it captured in the early stages of the invasion.
Around 7 percent was already under Russian or separatist control before the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Over the course of the war, territorial gains have fluctuated, with more than 4,500 square kilometres taken in the fourth year alone.
Sources: AFP, Institute for the Study of War, Digi24.
