The Russia-Ukraine War

Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the conflict has become the largest land war in Europe since World War II. As of March 13, 2026 — day 1,478 of the full-scale invasion — the war continues with no end in sight, despite extensive diplomatic efforts.

Territorial Situation

Russia currently occupies approximately **20 percent** of Ukraine's internationally recognized territory — roughly 116,310 square kilometers (44,908 square miles), an area roughly equivalent to the U.S. state of Ohio. This includes Crimea (annexed in 2014), most of the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, significant portions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, and until recently, slivers of Dnipropetrovsk oblast.

From March 2025 to March 2026, Russia captured approximately 1,993 square miles — about 0.9 percent of Ukraine's total territory. However, the pace of Russian advances has slowed dramatically in early 2026. In February 2026, Russian forces gained only 49 square miles, the smallest monthly gain since July 2024. Most significantly, in the four-week period from February 10 to March 10, 2026, Russian forces actually **lost** 57 square miles of Ukrainian territory, marking a reversal.

Ukraine's 2026 Counteroffensive

In what military analysts consider the most significant Ukrainian operational success since 2023, Ukraine launched counterattacks in early 2026 in the areas where Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts meet:

- Ukraine's Air Assault Forces reclaimed over **400 square kilometers**, liberating nearly all Russian-held territory in Dnipropetrovsk oblast

- **Nine towns** were recaptured in the Zaporizhzhia region

- The main Ukrainian advance occurred roughly 80 kilometers east of Zaporizhzhia city

- According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), these counterattacks "are generating tactical, operational and strategic effects that may disrupt Russia's Spring-Summer 2026 offensive campaign plan"

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Ukraine captured more territory than it lost in February 2026 — the first time this has happened since 2023.

Key Battles and Operational Developments

**Pokrovsk:** The city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk oblast, a critical logistics hub, saw intense fighting throughout 2025. Russian forces advanced an average of only 70 meters per day toward the city before finally capturing it in early December 2025.

**Kursk Incursion:** Ukraine's bold cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk oblast, launched in August 2024, initially captured over 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory. However, a sustained Russian counterattack gradually reclaimed most of this territory. By March 2025, Russian forces had retaken the town of Sudzha, and by late 2025 the incursion had largely concluded.

Casualties

The human cost of the war has been staggering:

- **Russian military:** Approximately 1,277,620 casualties (killed and wounded) between February 2022 and March 2026, according to Ukrainian sources. Western estimates from late February 2026 place Russian casualties at approximately 1,000,000.

- **Ukrainian military:** An estimated 250,000–300,000 casualties (killed and wounded), according to Western officials.

- **Civilians:** Over 15,000 Ukrainian civilians killed since the invasion began. The year 2025 was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since 2022.

- [Peace Negotiations](RussiaUkraineWarPeaceNegotiations) — Diplomatic efforts and peace talks

- [Humanitarian Crisis](RussiaUkraineWarHumanitarianCrisis) — Humanitarian impact and refugee crisis

- [Drone Warfare and Military Technology](RussiaUkraineWarMilitaryTechnology) — The drone revolution and AI on the battlefield

- [The Energy Infrastructure War](RussiaUkraineWarEnergyWar) — Russia's campaign against Ukraine's power grid

- [International Response](RussiaUkraineWarInternationalResponse) — European and international military support