Maps | How the Kursk offensive has changed the front lines in Ukraine war
The Kremlin’s forces are advancing on the Donetsk front while Kyiv’s troops are stuck in Russian territory following their surprise incursion
UKRAINE
RUSSIA
Kursk
Ukraine has taken control of
Russian territory since
launching a surprise
offensive in August
Korenevo
Sumy
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Russia meanwhile has
made significant
advances in Donetsk
during its summer
offensive
Under
Russian
control
Pokrovsk
Donetsk
Mariupol
100 km
Sea of Azov
UKRAINE
RUSSIA
Kursk
Ukraine has taken control
of Russian territory since
launching a surprise
offensive in August
Korenevo
Sumy
Belgorod
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Russia meanwhile has
made significant advances
in Donetsk during its
summer offensive
Under
Russian
control
Pokrovsk
Donetsk
Mariupol
100 km
Sea of Azov
Kursk
Ukraine has taken control of
Russian territory since launching
a surprise offensive in August
UKRAINE
Korenevo
Sumy
Belgorod
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Under
Russian
control
Russia meanwhile has made
significant advances in Donetsk
during its summer offensive
Pokrovsk
Donetsk
100 km
Kursk
UKRAINE
Ukraine has taken control of
Russian territory since launching
a surprise offensive in August
Korenevo
Sumy
Belgorod
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Under
Russian
control
Russia meanwhile has made
significant advances in Donetsk
during its summer offensive
Pokrovsk
Donetsk
50 km
The summer months have brought significant movement on the front lines of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv’s offensive, launched on August 6, took advantage of the element of surprise to advance into Russia’s Kursk region. The attack, however, has failed to divert troops from the Kremlin’s attack in the Donetsk region, where the Russian army is advancing relentlessly. There, Moscow’s troops have been taking towns as they move in the direction of Pokrovsk, a key base for Ukraine’s defense.
The following chart compares the advances by both sides over the past month. Ukraine has occupied some 1,150 square kilometres in its Kursk offensive: the surprise attack allowed Kyiv’s forces to take control of a large area defended by inexperienced troops in the first few days. Meanwhile, in the same period, Russia has added around 300 square kilometres to its conquests on Ukrainian soil, of which it controls around 18% (see methodology).
Ukraine captured hundreds of
kilometers of Russian territory by
launching a surprise attack on August 6
300 km2
The Ukrainian
advance has
slowed in the
past week
200
100
0
−100
Retreat
−200
August 6
Sept. 2
Russia's conquest of the Donbas is ongoing
on a front heavily defended by Ukraine
300 km2
The occupation has
intensified since
the end of August
200
100
0
August 6
Sept. 2
Source: In-house production
based on ISW maps.
Ukraine captured hundreds of
kilometers of Russian territory by
launching a surprise attack on August 6
300 km2
The Ukrainian
advance has
slowed in the
past week
200
100
0
−100
Retreat
−200
August 6
Sept. 2
Russia's conquest of the Donbas is ongoing
on a front heavily defended by Ukraine
300 km2
The occupation has
intensified since
the end of August
200
100
0
August 6
Sept. 2
Source: In-house production
based on ISW maps.
Ukraine captured hundreds of
kilometers of Russian territory by
launching a surprise attack on August 6
Start of the offensive
on Russian soil
The Ukrainian
advance has
slowed in the
past week
300 km2
200
100
0
−100
Retreat
−200
August 6
August 12
August 19
August 25
Sept. 2
Russia's conquest of the Donbas is ongoing
on a front heavily defended by Ukraine
300 km2
The occupation has
intensified since
the end of August
200
100
0
August 6
August 12
August 19
August 25
Sept. 2
Source: In-house production based on ISW maps.
Start of the offensive
on Russian soil
Ukraine captured hundreds of
kilometers of Russian territory by
launching a surprise attack on August 6
300 km2
The Ukrainian
advance has
slowed in the
past week
200
100
0
−100
Retreat
−200
August 6
August 12
August 19
August 25
September 2
Russia's conquest of the Donbas is ongoing
on a front heavily defended by Ukraine
300 km2
The occupation has
intensified since
the end of August
200
100
0
August 6
August 12
August 19
August 25
September 2
Source: In-house production based on ISW maps.
The Russian invasion of Donbas has extended a front line that had been consolidated since the early stages of the war. Ukraine’s strategy to counter this enemy advance was to take the war to Russia: following instructions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, up to 15,000 military personnel stormed Russian soil on August 6, the first land invasion Moscow has faced since World War II.
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
Russian troops are protecting
Korenevo and have pushed
Ukrainian forces back
Under Ukrainian
military control
as of September 4
Korenevo
KURSK
REGION
As of August 7
Sudzha
Sudzha, with a
population of
about 5,000
inhabitants, is
the largest
municipality
occupied by
Ukrainian forces
UKRAINE
Sumy
10 km
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
Russian troops are protecting
Korenevo and have pushed
Ukrainian forces back
Korenevo
Under Ukrainian
military control
as of September 4
KURSK
REGION
As of August 7
Sudzha
Sudzha, with a
population of
about 5,000
inhabitants, is
the largest
municipality
occupied by
Ukrainian forces
UKRAINE
Sumy
10 km
UKRAINE
Russian troops are protecting
Korenevo and have pushed
Ukrainian forces back
RUSSIA
Korenevo
Under Ukrainian
military control
as of September 4
Kursk
region
As of August 7
Sudzha
Sudzha, with a
population of
about 5,000
inhabitants, is
the largest
municipality
occupied by
Ukrainian forces
UKRAINE
Sumy
10 km
RUSSIA
Russian troops are protecting
Korenevo and have pushed
Ukrainian forces back
UKRAINE
Kursk
region
Korenevo
Under Ukrainian
military control
as of September 4
As of August 7
Sudzha
Sudzha, with a
population of
about 5,000
inhabitants, is
the largest
municipality
occupied by
Ukrainian forces
UKRAINE
Sumy
10 km
Ukraine’s progress in Kursk has slowed as the weeks have passed and the incursion has not yielded the anticipated results. Zelenskiy has said that the attack was intended to force the redeployment of the Russian troops in Donetsk, which would allow the Ukrainian defenders to rest and regroup. So far, this has not been achieved. Russian propaganda describes the Ukrainian incursion as a serious mistake by Kyiv, even though it caught the Kremlin off guard in its early stages. President Vladimir Putin has downplayed the effectiveness of the attack: “The enemy’s goal was to make us nervous and force us to redeploy troops in order to stop our offensive in Donbas. Has it worked? No,” the Russian president said last Thursday.
Progress of Russian troops in Donbas
The advance of Russian troops in the Donbas region (made up of the the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces and Russia’s main objective) has intensified in recent weeks, especially in the direction of Pokrovsk, a strategic town that serves as a logistical hub for Ukrainian troops. If Pokrovsk falls into enemy hands, Kyiv will be forced to send supplies to the Donetsk front by less direct routes, which will affect its ability to react, according to the British Ministry of Defence. Russian troops are less than 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from the city, although their advance is expected to slow down due to the added difficulty of entering urban areas. More than 60,000 people lived in the municipality before the war.
UKRAINE
Russian troops are
targeting Pokrovsk,
which may become the
scene of a new major
urban battle
Toretsk
Pokrovsk
Under Russian
military control
as of September 4
As of June 2
Donetsk
Under
Russian
control
Vuhledar
15 km
Russian troops are
targeting Pokrovsk,
which may become the
scene of a new major
urban battle
UKRAINE
Toretsk
Pokrovsk
Under Russian
military control
as of September 4
As of June 2
Donetsk
Under
Russian
control
Vuhledar
15 km
Russian troops are targeting
Pokrovsk, which may become
the scene of a new
major urban battle
Toretsk
UKRAINE
Horlivka
Pokrovsk
Under Russian
military control
as of September 4
As of June 2
Under
Russian
control
Donetsk
Vuhledar
15 km
Russian troops are targeting
Pokrovsk, which may become
the scene of a new
major urban battle
Toretsk
UKRAINE
Horlivka
Pokrovsk
Under Russian
military control
as of September 4
As of June 2
Under
Russian
control
Donetsk
Vuhledar
15 km
Putin’s army is also pushing towards the nearby town of Toretsk, in the north, and has begun the siege of Vuhledar in the south. It is also continuing to launch attacks on Ukrainian territory far from the front lines. On August 26, Moscow carried out one of the largest bombings of the war: the Ukrainian energy network in 15 provinces was hit with more than 100 missiles and over 100 drones. The advance of Russian troops in the east of the country is constant, and capturing Pokrovsk would bring the Kremlin closer to its goal of controlling the entire province of Donetsk. The attacks in the area, however, have failed to break the Ukrainian defensive lines, according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The front line in the area has moved about 40 kilometers (25 miles) since last October, and this gain has come at significant human cost to Russian troops, the think tank points out in its latest report.
Methodology
The calculation of the extent of occupied territory is based on maps published daily by the Institute for the Study of War since the beginning of the conflict. The areas that the ISW considers to be under Russian military control were taken into account when calculating the Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia. Similarly, the areas under the control of Ukrainian troops were taken into account when calculating the territory occupied by Kyiv in Russia's Kursk region.
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