For the first time since 2024: Russia has begun to lose territory in the war with Ukraine
4 May 01:16
In April, Russian forces suffered net territorial losses in the war with Ukraine, losing control of 116 square kilometers, according to calculations by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to analysts, this is the first time this has happened since the Ukrainian Armed Forces invaded the Kursk region in August 2024. This refers only to territories that are actually held—excluding areas where troops may have only temporarily penetrated without establishing a foothold.
At the same time, the pace of the Russian army’s advance continues to slow, notes the ISW. While in early 2025 it advanced an average of 9.76 square kilometers per day, in the first four months of 2026 the figure stood at 2.9 square kilometers. Over the past six months (from November to April), Russia captured 1,443.35 square kilometers, compared to 2,368.38 square kilometers during the same period a year earlier.
The ISW attributes the slowdown in the Russian advance to Ukrainian ground counterattacks and medium-range strikes, which include the active use of drones. Mykhailo Zvinchuk, a blogger close to the Russian Ministry of Defense, also acknowledged that, given the number of Ukrainian Armed Forces drones in the “low sky” as well as the small size of the attacking Russian groups, the troops “physically cannot maintain a high pace of advance.”
In addition, the Russian army’s command and communication problems have intensified due to the loss of access to Starlink terminals in Ukraine and the blocking of Telegram.
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The weather also plays a role. The winter of 2025–2026 turned out to be colder and wetter than the previous year. This exacerbated the effects of the spring thaw—a period when conditions for the movement of military equipment deteriorate sharply due to rain and melting snow.
At the same time, starting in the fall of 2025, Russian troops began actively employing tactics involving small groups infiltrating gray zones without fully capturing them. According to ISW, the Russian Ministry of Defense uses such operations to create the appearance of advances across all sectors of the front and to report successes to the Kremlin. In reality, however, many of these areas remain contested and are under constant fire from both sides.
According to ISW, in April, Russia was able to advance or penetrate only 28.28 square kilometers, and over the past six months—1,716.42 square kilometers. However, the territory it actually controls amounts to 1,443.35 square kilometers.
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