Moscow’s forces consolidated their territorial gains in eastern Ukraine in July, taking control of almost 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) of land, or roughly the size of Washington D.C., according to an AFP analysis published on Wednesday.
The analysis, based on data from the Institute for the Study of War, shows an increase over the previous month but a noticeable slowdown compared to May, when the Russian military launched a surprise ground offensive against the northeastern Kharkiv region.
In May, the army seized 449 square kilometers (173 square miles) of land, with an average of 14.5 square kilometers (5.6 square miles) claimed each day. They were the biggest monthly gains since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Moscow has taken 1,246 square kilometers (481 square miles) of Ukrainian territory since the start of the year, well above the 584 square kilometers seized over the entirety of 2023. Still, the Russian military has not been able to pull off a major breakthrough as it faces mounting battlefield losses and fewer men who are willing to fight.
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