Key Points and Summary – Russia has claimed new territorial gains in its summer offensive, including the capture of Novoukrainka village in Donetsk, pushing its forces to the edge of the Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time.
-Over the past two months, Moscow has reportedly seized around 950 square kilometers of Ukrainian land.
-This slow, grinding advance comes at an immense cost, with Ukrainian figures putting Russian casualties at over one million since the 2022 invasion.
-Despite the high price for these small gains, Moscow seems determined to press its advantage while insisting on maximalist peace terms that Kyiv has flatly rejected.
Russia Claims Village in Dnipropetrovsk as Its Territorial Grip Expands
Russia has claimed recent territorial gains in Ukraine, including Donetsk’s Novoukrainka village.
While any movement on the 1,000-kilometre frontline has been slow, Moscow seems determined to push onward.
The Kremlin’s drone tactics, increasingly effective, reflect a shift in both technological capacity and battlefield strategy.
Russia Claims Land Gains
Russian state media and bloggers have made the claim, which we are unable to verify independently. Over the past two months alone, Moscow has reportedly seized around 950 square kilometres of Ukrainian land, including a significant 200 square kilometre area in the Sumy region and initial incursions into Dnipropetrovsk.
The authoritative Ukrainian Deep State mapping project now calculates that Russia controls 113,588 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory—roughly a fifth of the country.
While Ukraine has not confirmed the fall of Dachnoye, the trend is clear: Russia continues to press forward, even as it insists publicly that it is open to peace. However, the Kremlin’s conditions for any peace agreement remain maximalist.
President Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine must completely withdraw from the four regions Russia alleges it has annexed: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Naturally, Kyiv has rejected these hefty demands.
Just last week, Russian forces struck residential areas in Dnipropetrovsk’s Samar district, igniting fires and causing further civilian suffering.
Russia’s Losses Mount in Ukraine War
Despite its large-scale attacks, Moscow remains under the cosh. According to figures released by Ukraine’s General Staff earlier this month, one million Russian soldiers have reportedly been killed or wounded since the country began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kyiv also alleges whopping swathes of Russian equipment losses: almost 11,000 tanks, 22,000 plus fighting vehicles, and nearly 30,000 artillery systems. This is alongside smaller figures of done, missiles, and aircraft.
One of Russia’s key tactics in Ukraine seems to include overwhelming Ukrainian defences with sheer manpower.
Large numbers of infantry are directed into fortified zones in an attempt to exhaust Ukrainian troops. Like in many other historic wars in the region, Russia’s war effort can seemingly afford heavier casualties than its enemy.
If Moscow really has taken Dachnoye is accurate, it would certainly be a symbolic notch in its tumultuous and slow war in eastern Ukraine.
Still, for both belligerents and their backers, the wider war is no closer to a resolution. Russia is keen to keep anything it has taken, while Ukraine is refusing to surrender it.
These two perspectives are incompatible.
About the Author:
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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