Putin Overstated the Amount of Ukrainian Land Captured This Year by 45 Times
Vladimir Putin stated that since the beginning of 2026, the Russian army has captured about 6500 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory and 310 settlements. However, according to calculations by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the actual net gain of territory under Russian control from January to September amounted to only 144.51 square kilometers. This is approximately 45 times less than the figure named by Putin, writes The Moscow Times.
According to ISW data, in January, Russian forces captured 318.54 square kilometers; in February — 122.73; in March — 23.04. In April, they lost 116.01 square kilometers, and in May — another 281.1. In June, the Russian army occupied 30.02 square kilometers; in July — 37.85; in August — 90.25. In September, it again lost territory — 80.81 square kilometers.
Putin also claimed that slightly more than 10% of Donetsk Oblast territory and 16.5% of Zaporizhzhia Oblast territory remain under Ukrainian control, and Luhansk Oblast is entirely controlled by Russia.
ISW believes that the statements by the Russian leadership regarding the scale of military successes do not correspond to the real situation on the front. According to the institute's analysts, the Kremlin has intensified efforts to create an impression of significantly greater achievements by the Russian army than those that can be confirmed.
At the same time, the limited advance of Russian troops is accompanied by significant losses. According to estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), from the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 to June 2026, Russian forces lost about 1.4 million people, including at least 450 thousand killed.
In the first half of 2026, according to CSIS analysts, Russian forces lost 30-34 thousand people monthly, while the recruitment of new contract soldiers provided replenishment of approximately 27 thousand servicemen per month.
In September, the Russian army lost more than 50 thousand people, of whom 28 thousand were killed. This was reported by Bloomberg agency, citing a high-ranking NATO official.
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