Moscow [Russia], January 6: Russia has captured nearly 3,600 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in the past year, media reports from Kiev said on Sunday.
The area is roughly the size of Mallorca, or Long Island in New York.
Ukraine suffered its greatest territorial losses in November, losing 610 square kilometres, when the Russians captured approximately 20 square kilometres daily, the military blog Militarnyi reported, citing map data from DeepStateMAP, another military blog.
The losses in 2024 were reportedly multiple times that of the previous year.
There was no official confirmation of these figures.
In mid-December, the Ukrainian Telegram channel UA War Infographics estimated the Russian troop advances since the start of the year at over 2,800 square kilometres. However, Ukraine reportedly also lost an additional 510 square kilometres in December.
It is noteworthy that the territorial losses for Kiev have significantly increased following its own summer offensive and the incursions into the western Russian region of Kursk.
Even after the turn of the year, Russian troops continue to advance: They are said to have gained ground in the last 24 hours near Kurakhove, close to the strategically important city of Pokrovsk, as well as in the embattled city of Toretsk.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for almost three years with the help of Western allies. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
