Russian forces have advanced almost 4,000 sq km in Ukraine in 2024

Russian forces have advanced 3,985 sq km in Ukraine in 2024, almost seven times more than in 2023 (584 sq km), according to an AFP analysis of data provided by the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW), completed on 30 December.
This offensive is fueled in particular by the acceleration of Russian movements in the fall of 2024.
Their troops advanced 610 km2 in October and 725 km2 in November. November and October 2024 were the two months in which the Russians captured the most territory in Ukraine since March 2022 and the first weeks of the conflict.
In December, the Russian advance slows, reaching 465 km2 in the first 30 days of the month. But it is now almost four times larger than in the same month last year, and two and a half times larger than in December 2022.
Almost three-quarters of the territory seized by the Russians in Ukraine in 2024 is in the Donetsk region, where the city of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub for the Ukrainian army, is located. Russia now controls or operates on 70% of the region's territory, up from 59% at the end of 2023.
Russia's advance accelerated in August 2024, seizing almost 400 sq km in the month, rising to 629 sq km in November.
The year 2024 is also marked by the large-scale Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk region, which began in July. On 20 and 21 August, the claimed Ukrainian offensives reached a peak, covering some 1,320 km2. But by 30 December this area of action had been reduced to 482 km2 . | BGNES