Research shows how bad the situation really is in Ukraine: according to a data analysis by the AFP news agency, in November the Russian army made the largest territorial gains since March 2022. A trend that had already been announced.
Russian forces captured 725 square kilometers of territory last month, according to the AFP analysis based on data from US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW). For reference: This is roughly equivalent to the area of Singapore.
The Russian army made almost 90 percent of these territorial gains in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, where it gradually advanced towards the strategically important city of Pokrovsk. The Ukrainian military controls only less than a third of the Donetsk region; At the beginning of this year that was more than 40 percent. The Russian army is now less than five kilometers from Pokrovsk.
The last time the Russian army made greater territorial gains than in November was in March 2022, that is, in the weeks after the start of the war of aggression in Ukraine. At that time, Russia had occupied more than 45,400 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory – reaching just outside the capital Kiev.
The Ukrainian defense is crumbling
According to ISW data, last October Russian forces had already made their biggest territorial gains in two and a half years, with an area captured of 610 square kilometers. In total, the invasion forces have advanced 3,500 square kilometers since the beginning of the year. The territorial gain is now six times greater than in the whole of 2023.
Since the start of the war of aggression in February 2022, Russia has occupied a total of 68,050 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory by the end of November 2024. Including Crimea’s Black Sea Peninsula, which was annexed in 2014, and areas in the Donbas controlled by pro-Russian separatists before 2022, Russia currently controls 18.4 percent of Ukrainian territory.
Kiev now wants to negotiate
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that his country can only regain some of the territories occupied by Russia through diplomatic channels, according to a report by Japanese news agency Kyodo News. He admitted in an interview that it would be difficult for his country to completely reconquer the occupied territories militarily. “Our army is not strong enough for this. That is true,” the agency quoted Zelensky as saying.
“We have to find diplomatic solutions.” However, such steps can only be considered “when we know we are strong enough.” Ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, he said the newly elected US president and his staff would investigate the Ukrainian government’s “victory plan.” They know it is aimed at putting Ukraine in a “strong position” so that diplomacy can take place.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
