Three years of intense conflict: how much of Ukraine's territory has been occupied?

Novini.LIVE reports on how many territories of Ukraine have been occupied by the Russians and what to expect next.

How many territories of Ukraine are currently occupied

The Russian dictator Putin announced the start of the so-called "special military operation" at around four in the morning on February 24, 2022. Just minutes later, Ukraine began to be attacked. The Russians launched missile strikes across the entire territory. The occupiers began their offensive on Ukraine, entering from Russia, Belarus, and the temporarily occupied Crimea.

The Russians failed to take Kyiv in three days as they had threatened. Despite this, Ukraine did indeed lose a significant part of its territories at the start of the large-scale war. The Russians occupied Melitopol, Berdiansk, and Enerhodar in the Zaporizhia region. They also captured the Ukrainian city of Kherson. Kupiansk and Balakleya in the Kharkiv region came under Russian control. The occupiers began a blockade of Mariupol.

A number of settlements were occupied by the Russians in eastern Ukraine. Additionally, they attempted to capture Sumy and Chernihiv. Fighting continued in Borodyanka, Vorzel, Bucha, and other settlements in the Kyiv region.

As of March 2022, about a month after the onset of the full-scale invasion, the Russians had occupied almost 19% of Ukrainian territory. This figure includes settlements that were occupied since 2014.

Despite the initial successes of the Russians at the beginning of the large war, the Ukrainian Defense Forces began to respond to the enemy with fierce intensity. By early April 2022, the occupiers were driven out of Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, Borodyanka, Motyzhyn, and other settlements in Kyiv region up to the northern border. Furthermore, the Russians retreated from the Chernihiv and Sumy regions and were pushed back from Kharkiv.

In the summer of 2022, the city of Mariupol was completely occupied by the Russians. Intense battles were fought there, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties. The city became a ghost town. The world learned about "Azovstal," where Ukrainian fighters held their defense until the very end.

By the end of summer 2022, more than 13% of Ukrainian territory was under Russian control.

Ukraine launched a large-scale counteroffensive in the fall of 2022. Defenders liberated Izium, Balakleya, Volchansk, and Kupiansk in Kharkiv region. In just six days, the Ukrainian army managed to reclaim over 300 settlements in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. Later, in October, they liberated the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region.

The occupied Kherson was returned under Ukraine's control in November. Additionally, settlements on the right bank of the Dnieper were liberated. Everyone remembers the footage of Kherson residents welcoming Ukrainian soldiers with tears and hugs.

By 2023, the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region became almost the main target for the Russians. Long and exhausting battles continued for it. Ukrainian fighters had to hold back an enemy force primarily made up of the Wagner Group, which consisted of prisoners from Russian colonies. In May 2023, Bakhmut was captured by the Russians. Furthermore, in 2023, Soledar, Berkhivka, Krasna Hora, and Yahodne were occupied.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine began an offensive against the Russians in the southern Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions. They liberated a number of settlements, including Neskuchne, Blahodatne, Storozheve, Makarivka, and Robotyne in Zaporizhia. Ukraine also regained Urozhayne, Rovnopil, and Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region in the summer of 2023. Overall, about 243 square kilometers of Ukrainian territories were liberated.

However, such a brilliant counteroffensive in 2023 did not occur as it did in the previous year. There were several reasons for this, with analysts noting the powerful fortifications constructed by the Russians.

As of August 2023, Russia controlled more than 11% of Ukraine's territory. This includes territory occupied since 2014.

At the beginning of 2024, the Russians occupied Avdiivka. Fierce battles for the city lasted a long time. The Russians transferred large forces to this direction — about 40,000 occupiers. Ukrainian military personnel defended the city to the last. In February, Avdiivka was fully occupied by the Russians. In March, the Russian army captured Tonenke and reached Semenivka.

In April 2024, the Russians occupied Ocheretino. This was an important logistics center for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as a railway line to Pokrovsk passed through it. In May, the Russians again attempted to advance in Kharkiv region. However, their deepest penetration was about 10 kilometers. By the end of spring, the pace of the Russian offensive in Kharkiv region significantly slowed down.

In the fall of 2024, the Russians occupied Selydove and Vuhledar in the Donetsk region. They also captured Voznesenka and Sontsivka near Kurakhove.

It is worth noting that although Russia slowly occupied settlements in Ukraine during this entire time, it seems that the enemy chose the method of exhaustion and decided to "take their time."

According to estimates by ISW, as of November 2024, Russian troops occupied approximately 99% of Luhansk region, 66% of Donetsk region, and 73% of Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

After November and to this day, Russia's advancement has slowed down. According to analysts, it took Russian troops more than two years to seize the remaining part of Donetsk region, given their pace of advancement.

Occupation of territories by Russia itself

In their attempt to occupy Ukrainian territories, the Russians lost part of their own lands. In August 2024, Ukrainian troops stunned everyone with a lightning-fast offensive in the Kursk region. For the first time in 11 years of war, combat operations were transferred to the territory of Russia itself.

The main goal of the Kursk operation, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was to prevent a new Russian offensive in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. By February 2025, the Russians had lost over 40,000 troops (wounded and killed) there.

Despite deploying significant forces to the Kursk region, Russia also attracted fighters from North Korea. North Korea sent about its own servicemen there. Their losses amounted to around 4,000 people. After that, the units from North Korea were withdrawn from the front line.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as of February 5, the enemy had lost in the Kursk region:

• 131 tanks,
• 689 armored fighting vehicles,
• 386 artillery systems,
• 12 units of MLRS,
• 12 air defense systems,
• 1 aircraft,
• 3 helicopters,
• 931 operational-tactical unmanned aerial vehicles,
• 1164 units of automotive equipment,
• 34 units of special equipment.

Ukrainian forces managed to capture over 900 Russian soldiers in the Kursk region. This significantly replenished the exchange fund. The Kursk offensive operation is still ongoing. Ukrainian defenders continue to hold hundreds of square kilometers of "buffer zone" in Russia. Additionally, in February 2025, the Armed Forces of Ukraine began a new wave of offensive against the Russian Federation.

The War in Ukraine — What’s Next

Currently, the Russians continue to exert pressure on the Ukrainian Defense Forces in various directions. It is likely that Ukraine may suffer even greater losses due to exhaustion and a lack of personnel, or as in 2022 — achieve a lightning-fast success. However, resources are needed for this — both human and in terms of weapons and finances.

The situation regarding the war in Ukraine has become significantly more tense. With Donald Trump's rise to power in the USA, the question arose as to whether Ukraine's largest ally still stands by its side.

Donald Trump noted during his election campaign that he would quickly end the war in Ukraine. In February 2025