Ukraine-Russia battle map 2025: Where are Putin’s forces making beneficial properties on the frontline? | EUROtoday

By the time February 2025 arrives, marking three years since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the scenario on the entrance line might look very completely different.

Currently, Russian forces are advancing within the east, slowly however absolutely, and they’re shrinking Ukraine’s partial maintain of the border area of Kursk.

That the Russians haven’t been extra profitable is a testomony, above all else, to the resilience of Ukraine’s troops on the bottom, a lot of whom have been combating constantly for years. Dysfunction within the Russian army, with Mr Putin as its de facto commander-in-chief, is one other.

But US president Joe Biden has despatched the ultimate army bundle of his tenure to Ukraine, ending the assist (for now) of Kyiv’s most heavily-armed ally. US president-elect Donald Trump will quickly re-enter the White House on the promise of ending the combating altogether, even when that doubtlessly means rewarding Mr Putin for his unlawful land seize.

Each inch of territory misplaced or gained might show very important in future negotiations. Below, we take a look at the present flashpoints of the roughly 640-mile entrance line.

Kursk

Ukraine captured a piece of the Russian border area of Kursk after a daring cross-border assault in August. They have held onto a few of that territory ever since, although advancing Russian forces are shrinking the Ukrainian-held zone.

Senior Ukrainian official Mykhailo Podolyak revealed to The Independent per week after the assault that the assault was a “military tool of coercion to force Russia into the negotiation process”.

Kyiv will hope that what stays of their captured territory in Kursk when Mr Trump returns will show very important in doable negotiations.

Russian forces have not too long ago shifted extra in the direction of infantry-led assaults within the space, having tended in the direction of mechanised, vehicle-heavy assaults of their preliminary makes an attempt to cut back the Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Casualties are excessive. Bolstered by between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean troops, nevertheless, they’ve continued to squeeze Ukraine’s perimeter. North Korea’s forces, for his or her half, have already suffered upwards of 1,000 casualties, based on Ukraine, the US and South Korea.

Russia has superior into the northwestern facet of Ukraine’s assault in addition to to the southeast of Sudzha, the principle metropolis held by Kyiv’s troops in Kursk, positioned on the opposite facet of the assault.

Kupyansk

Russian forces are conducting assaults to the north of the town of Kupyansk within the northeast Ukrainian area of Kharkiv, however they’ve gone months and not using a main breakthrough.

Recently, based on the Centre for Defence Strategies (CDS), a Ukrainian safety assume tank, the Russians have been additionally “forced to retreat from the northeastern outskirts of Kupyansk to fortified positions” across the close by village of Petropavlivka.

In a swelling offensive to the south, although, they’ve captured a number of villages, essentially the most important of which is Lozova, made up of round 15 houses. It fell two weeks after the Russians surrounded it on three sides.

Chasiv Yar

Ukraine and Russia have been combating within the streets of Chasiv Yar, a metropolis within the Donetsk area, since July, when Kyiv’s troops withdrew from the jap Kanal neighbourhood, establishing the waterway there as the brand new entrance line.

Despite fears, on the time, that this might result in the autumn of the strategically priceless Chasiv Yar, which sits on excessive floor, Russian forces have but to stage a big breakthrough.

Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for Ukrainian forces combating in that space, mentioned on 30 December that Russian forces try to assault the Refractory Plant in central Chasiv Yar, a key Ukrainian defensive place within the settlement. He added, nevertheless, that Ukrainian forces proceed to regulate the power.

Toretsk

The Russians are pushing by way of the centre of Toretsk, one other metropolis in Donetsk, however have been held by Ukrainian forces for months, a few of whom have been defending that space for years.

Mr Trehubov acknowledged on 29 December that road combating continues inside Toretsk.

He added that evenly armoured Russian forces have been noticed selecting up anti-tank mines after which throwing them at buildings within the Toretsk route.

Pokrovsk

This seems to be the final word goal of the Russian forces advancing in Ukraine’s jap Donetsk area. Sitting on logistical routes connecting the remainder of the area, Pokrovsk is a linchpin of Donetsk’s defence.

Since the Russian seize of the town of Avdiivka in February, Moscow’s troops have superior round 30 miles to the outskirts of Pokrovsk, seizing round 400 sq. miles of the area within the course of. That advance appears to be like like a swollen bulge protruding from the entrance line.

Their success within the route of Pokrovsk is evident because the Russian forces push in the direction of the western outskirts of the town. Like in Kursk, they seem to have shifted in the direction of small, infantry-led assaults after months of pricey mechanised assaults. Ukraine estimates Russian automobile losses in that space alone to be upwards of two,000 in latest months, which incorporates tanks and armoured personnel carriers.

“The situation of Ukrainian Defense Forces continues to deteriorate,” writes CDS. “The enemy is gradually expanding its penetration south of Pokrovsk.”

Senior Ukrainian officers have blamed the “disastrous” defence of the Pokrovsk space partially on poor administration and communication between generals and people combating on the bottom.

Kyiv hopes to repair this challenge in 2025, having appointed a brand new land forces commander.

In his newest replace, Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi described the combating in Pokrovsk because the “hottest” of the roughly 640-mile entrance line. Russia is struggling excessive casualties, he added, because it carries out “continuous meaty assaults”.

Kurakhov

Roughly 15 miles southwest of Pokrovsk lies Kurakhove. It sits within the backside left-hand nook of Russia’s bulging assault in the direction of Pokrovsk.

Russian forces have had success on this space, pushing alongside the northern outskirts of Kurakhove alongside the Vovcha reservoir. They have reached the outskirts of the village of Shevchenko past the reservoir and behind Kurakhove, based on DeepState, a Ukrainian battle tracker with shut ties to the army.

Some of Ukraine’s troops, in the meantime, have retreated a number of miles again from Kurakhove, round Shevchenko, to defend the advancing Russian forces. Fighting inside Kurakhove, nevertheless, is ongoing.

Velyka Novosilka

After the seize of the city of Vuhledar in October, Russian forces have superior round 18 miles in the direction of Velyka Novosilka, a city that sits close to the Donetsk border with the Zaporizhzhia area.

The city has served as a key meeting space for each offensive and defensive operations within the space, says Frontelligence Insight, a Ukrainian battle tracker. It can also be a key route linking cities additional east to the remainder of unoccupied Ukraine.

Its seize might afford Russia “multiple options for further advances”, the group provides.

Velyka Novosilka is sort of surrounded on three sides by Russian forces.

The fundamental thrust of latest Russian assaults has been on Velyka Novosilka’s western flank, however Moscow’s troops have additionally pushed in the direction of the city of Novyi Komar to the east, in addition to from the south.

A consultant of a Ukrainian brigade working close to Velyka Novosilka mentioned that Russian forces try to bypass and seize Velyka Novosilka to succeed in the junction of the three areas of Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Dnipropetrovsk.