Zelensky Says Ukraine Has Liberated 745 Square Kilometers of Territory Since January

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that since January, Ukrainian forces have liberated 745 square kilometers of territory, including 26 settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. He made the statement on social media platform X, noting that the gains were achieved during operations in the Oleksandrivka sector and other parts of the front line.

Russia's version of events looks quite different. On July 22, Russia's Ministry of Defense circulated figures from a pro-Kremlin propaganda Telegram channel claiming that Russian forces had seized 2,226 square kilometers of territory in the first six months of 2026.

What Independent Analysts Say

The US-based Institute for the Study of War offers markedly different numbers. According to its assessment, Russian units have managed to establish full control over only 81 square kilometers of territory since the start of 2026. The institute estimates that troops have advanced into roughly another 627 square kilometers without fully securing it.

Analysts at the institute stress an important distinction: if soldiers simply enter a field or reach the edge of a forest, that does not necessarily mean the territory has been brought under control. This explains the wide gap between the figures claimed by Russia and the estimates offered by Western analysts.

It should be noted that neither Ukraine's claims about liberated territory nor Russia's claims about captured land can currently be independently verified.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz