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Russia Has Taken 1,700 Square Km of Ukraine This Year, Top General Says
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 21, 2026
3 min readLast updated: April 21, 2026
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Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov says Russia seized 1,700 sq km of Ukrainian territory so far in 2026, claiming advances toward Donbas ‘fortress belt’ cities as well as in Sumy and Kharkiv, though independent sources report much smaller gains.
Russia has taken 1,700 square km of Ukraine this year, top general says
Russian Advances and Battlefield Developments in Ukraine
By Guy Faulconbridge and Anton Kolodyazhnyy
Overview of Russian Territorial Gains
MOSCOW, April 21 (Reuters) - Russian forces have taken 1,700 square km (656 square miles) of territory in Ukraine this year and are advancing on its so-called fortress belt in Donbas, Moscow's top general said while inspecting his forces.
Russia has since its 2022 invasion been seeking to take the whole of the Donbas area in eastern Ukraine, where Kyiv's forces have been pushed back towards a line of cities in grinding fighting.
Ukrainian Counteroffensives and Reported Gains
Kyiv has also reported some gains in the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two. Top Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said in mid-April that Kyiv's forces had regained control of nearly 50 square km of its territory in March.
Statements from Russian and Ukrainian Officials
"Since the beginning of this year, a total of 80 settlements and more than 1,700 square kilometres of territory have come under our control," Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said in footage released by the defence ministry on Tuesday.
Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield accounts, and a spokesperson for Ukraine's General Staff said he would not comment on the claim. Pro-Ukrainian maps indicate Russia has taken around 600 square km this year.
Key Battlefronts and Military Movements
Donbas Fortress Belt and Surrounding Cities
Gerasimov said Russia's Southern Grouping of forces was attacking the Donetsk fortress belt comprising the cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka, and that Russian forces were about 7 to 12 km (4.3 to 7.5 miles) from Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Russian units were already fighting in parts of Kostiantynivka, he said. In addition, Gerasimov said, Russian forces were advancing in Sumy in the north and Kharkiv in the northeast to create what he called "a security zone".
Recent Clashes and Ukrainian Resistance
Kyiv's military said on Tuesday that its forces had stopped two Russian attempts to advance around villages near Sloviansk over the past 24 hours, and that Moscow had carried out 19 attacks near Kostiantynivka and eight nearby villages.
It also said Russian forces had made five attempts to break Ukrainian defences around several settlements near the Russian border in the Kharkiv region.
Current Control and Territorial Estimates
Russian-Controlled Regions in Ukraine
According to Russian estimates, Russia controls about 90% of Donbas, about 75% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and slivers of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions in Ukraine.
Russia also controls Crimea, which it annexed in 2014 after earlier fighting. The Black Sea peninsula is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine by most countries.
Pro-Ukrainian Map Assessments
Pro-Ukrainian maps show Russia controls 116,793 square km, or 19.35%, of Ukraine, but that Russia's advance has slowed this year.
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Reuters; Additional reporting by Dan Peleschuk in Kyiv; editing by Andrew Heavens and Timothy Heritage)
Key Takeaways
- •Gerasimov reported Russia captured 1,700 sq km and 80 settlements in 2026, including 700 sq km in March–April and advances toward Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, Sumy and Kharkiv (aa.com.tr).
- •Independent assessments show far lower Russian gains: ISW data suggests only 46 sq miles (~119 sq km) gained in early March, with total 2025 gains around 0.8% of Ukraine (~1,865 sq miles or ~4,830 sq km) (russiamatters.org).
- •Estimates of Russian-controlled territory vary—from roughly 19% total of Ukraine to control of nearly 90% of Donbas and 75% of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions—highlighting discrepancies in claims versus independent analysis (washingtonpost.com).
References
Frequently Asked Questions about Russia has taken 1,700 square km of Ukraine this year, top general says
1How much territory has Russia gained in Ukraine in 2024?
Russia claims to have captured 1,700 square km of Ukrainian territory since the start of 2024.
2Which areas are Russian forces advancing towards in Ukraine?
Russian forces are advancing on the Donbas fortress belt including Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Kostiantynivka, as well as in parts of Sumy and Kharkiv.
3What do pro-Ukrainian sources report about Russian territorial gains?
Pro-Ukrainian maps indicate Russia has taken 592 square km in 2024, significantly less than Russian claims.
4How much of Donbas does Russia currently control?
According to Russian estimates, Russia controls about 90% of Donbas.
5Is Crimea still internationally recognized as part of Ukraine?
Yes, most countries internationally recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine, despite its annexation by Russia in 2014.
