Ukrainian forces have largely halted the spring-summer offensive of the Russian Federation in 2026. This is evidenced by data from analysts who assess the dynamics of combat operations and control over territories.
This is reported by Finway
Dynamics of Russian Troop Advances and Losses
According to analytical calculations, from December 2025 to May 2026, Russian troops managed to capture or penetrate 40.64 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory. At the same time, during this same period, Russia lost control over 281.1 square kilometers of previously occupied land.
“Russian troops, however, lost 281.1 square kilometers during the same period, considering only the territory controlled by Russian forces.”
Analysts emphasize that infiltration zones are separately marked on maps – areas where Russians have penetrated in small groups but have not established full control, and the presence of Russian and Ukrainian forces there alternates.
Comparison with Last Year and Reasons for Changes in Pace
As noted in the report, this year’s advance of Russian forces has significantly decreased compared to the same period in 2024–2025. At that time, the Russian army captured 515.84 square kilometers, which is more than 12 times higher than this year’s figure – it is only 7.87% of last year’s. Last year, the infiltration category was not yet used to assess advances.
The report states that such a slowdown in the advance of Russian troops in 2026 is unlikely to be related to weather conditions or seasonality. Although partially the loss of controlled territories in April may have been a result of impassable roads due to melting snow and rain, the main factors remain changes on the battlefield, including Ukrainian counterattacks, medium-range strikes, Russia’s blocking of access to Starlink in Ukraine, and restrictions on Telegram operations.
It is particularly emphasized that in May 2026, the pace of Russian advances did not increase despite improved weather conditions. This, according to experts, further proves that the reasons for the slowdown in the offensive are related not to the weather, but to military actions and technological constraints.
On May 21, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov reported that Ukraine had significantly slowed the aggressor’s advance and was gradually seizing the initiative thanks to increased effectiveness of military actions, blocking Starlink for Russia, and enhancing medium-range drone strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a video address on May 25 that Ukrainian forces currently have stronger positions on the front, which is confirmed by the decrease in the pace of Russia’s advance.