Russian Occupation of Ukraine Land Remains the Same As In 2023

1.2 million casualties later, Russia has little to show for its failed demonstration of military power. JL

Decimus reports in Daily Kos:

To the surprise of the world, Ukraine has withstood four years under Russia’s full scale war. Ukraine has managed to fight the erstwhile global superpower and self-described “world’s number two army” to a frazzle whilst pushing the Russian economy to the brink of economic implosion. Russia's progress on the battlefield remains meager: about 0.72% of the entire territory of Ukraine. In total, from January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2026, the increase in the occupied territory amounted to 1.28%.

It was the French revolutionary, Georges Jacques Danton, who famously said … “‘Il nous faut de l'audace, encore de l'audace, toujours de l'audace!(We must dare, and dare again, and go on daring!).

ADAPTIVE INDOMITABLE UKRAINE and her people are a testament to Danton’s clarion call.  To the surprise of the rest of the world, Ukraine has withstood four terrible years under Putin and Russia’s full scale unrelenting brutal war.  Not only that but Ukraine has somehow managed to fight the erstwhile global superpower and self-described “world’s number two army” to a frazzle whilst pushing the Russian economy to the brink of economic implosion. 

According to the independent online analyst and war tracking web site, DeepState … “compared to previous years, 2025 was truly difficult for the Defense Forces of Ukraine.”  And yet the amount of land currently under Russian control has not changed much:

DeepState calculated the area of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation in 2025

Russia's progress on the battlefield remains meager

As analysts note, this is about 0.72% of the entire territory of Ukraine.

What is important to understand is that in total, from January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2026, the increase in the occupied territory amounted to 7,463 sq. km or 1.28% of the entire territory.

news.online.ua/...

Compared to the first year of the full-scale war, the situation has changed as follows:

• Dnipropetrovsk — was 0%, became 0.6%

• Sumy — was 0%, became 1%

• Kharkiv — was 1.9%, became 4.7%

• Kherson — nothing has changed

• Zaporizhzhia — was 72.8%, became 74.8%

• Donetsk — was 56.7%, became 78.1%

• Luhansk — was 97.9%, now 99.6%

In total, Russia has seized 116,165 sq km of Ukraine. What is important to understand is that this is 19.25% of the entire territory, or every 5th sq km.

So from a strictly numerical standpoint, except for Crimea which it controls 100%,  Russia has still not attained 100% control of any other Ukrainian oblast … even at the humongous cost of 1.2 million casualties, much of its pre-war military assets and a now teetering economy, One can quibble over the 0.04% of Luhansk but that 1,000km or so is still Ukraine.