Russia’s military advance in June accelerated for a third consecutive month and made its largest advance since November, according to AFP’s analysis of data from U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Russian army took 588 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in June, compared with 507 square kilometres in May, 379 square kilometres in April, and 240 square kilometres in March, according to ISW data.
Moscow’s advance had slowed during the winter.
Except for the early months of the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, only October (610 square kilometres) and November (725 square kilometres) of last year saw larger Russian advances than those of June 2025.
Two-thirds of last month’s Russian advances were in the eastern Donetsk region, the main area of Russia-Ukraine clashes for the past two years.
Moscow now fully or partially controls three-quarters of the Donetsk region, compared to 61% a year ago on the same date.
However, the Russian army has also made unprecedented progress over the past year in other regions, covering nearly 200 square kilometres.
