Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Ukraine
June 9, 2023
Where Ukraine has mounted multiple attacks in broad offensive
Ukraine has launched major attacks against invading Russian forces at multiple points of the southern and eastern front lines this week, the apparent beginning of a long-planned counteroffensive with enormous stakes for the direction of the war.
Kharkiv
KHARKIV
HELD BY
RUSSIA
LUHANSK
Luhansk
Bakhmut
Ukrainian
counterattacks
this week
Velyka
Novosilka
Donetsk
Marinka
Orikhiv
DONETSK
Tokmak
Mariupol
ZAPORIZHZHIA
Detail
area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
KHARKIV
HELD
BY RUSSIA
LUHANSK
Bakhmut
Ukrainian
counterattacks
this week
Luhansk
DONETSK
Donetsk
Marinka
Orikhiv
Velyka
Novosilka
Tokmak
Mariupol
Detail
area
ZAPORIZHZHIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
The most recent battle erupted in Ukraine's south, in an unforgiving landscape with little cover, near the town of Orikhiv. Ukraine’s military on Friday confirmed fighting south of Orikhiv, and footage released by pro-Russian military bloggers and verified by The New York Times showed fierce fighting.
Military analysts have long anticipated that Ukraine will focus on this area to try to sever Russia’s connection between Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. Russia has laid mine belts and dug layer upon layer of defensive trenches to repel Ukrainian attacks.
Ukraine was also attacking about 60 miles east, across the plains near the town of Velyka Novosilka, Hanna Maliar, a Ukrainian deputy defense minister, said on Thursday. Ukrainian officials have also said they are attacking Russian positions on the outskirts of Bakhmut, which fell to Russian forces last month after the longest and bloodiest battle of the war.
While The Times geolocated images to verify the approximate locations of the fighting, few reliable details can verify how the fighting is going, or exactly how far Ukraine has entered Russian-held territory. Each side is presenting its own take on the uptick in fighting, and Ukrainian officials have cloaked the operation in secrecy.
Josh Holder, Andrew Kramer, Christiaan Triebert, Christoph Koettl and Haley Willis
May 22, 2023
How Russia advanced on Bakhmut in its monthslong assault on the city
Russia claimed victory in Bakhmut on Sunday after nearly a year of brutal fighting in one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war amid ongoing Ukrainian counterattacks that are retaking territory to the north and south of the city.
Ukrainian officials denied Russia’s claim to have complete control of Bakhmut, but they acknowledged that only a small contingent of Ukrainian soldiers is defending a southwestern pocket of the city.
Despite deploying tens of thousands of newly mobilized troops into eastern Ukraine this winter, Russia spent months trying, and failing, to encircle Bakhmut from the north and south. As Russian forces closed in on the only remaining highway into the city in early March, Ukraine’s military mounted a counterattack that pushed Russian troops back, preserving a crucial supply line and allowing Ukrainian forces to continue defending the city.
Russia shifted its focus to attacks on the city center, inching forward block-by-block and backing Ukrainian troops into an ever-shrinking pocket in the west of the city. Even with Ukrainian forces recapturing territory on the northern and southern flanks around Bakhmut over the past week, Russia continued to advance in the southwest of the city.
Spirne
Fedorivka
Berestove
Pryvillia
HELD BY
UKRAINE
HELD BY
RUSSIA
Bakhmut
RUSSIAN ADVANCE
(DEC. 2022 - JAN. 2023)
Andriivka
Myronivka
RECLAIMED BY UKRAINE
(DEC. 2022 - JAN. 2023)
Toretsk
Petrivka
Bakhmut
10 miles
Horlivka
Jan. 1, 2023
Spirne
Fedorivka
Berestove
Pryvillia
HELD BY
UKRAINE
HELD BY
RUSSIA
Bakhmut
RUSSIAN ADVANCE
(JAN. - FEB.)
Andriivka
Myronivka
Toretsk
Petrivka
10 miles
Horlivka
Feb. 1, 2023
Spirne
Fedorivka
Berestove
Pryvillia
HELD BY
UKRAINE
HELD BY
RUSSIA
Bakhmut
RUSSIAN ADVANCE
(FEB. - MARCH)
Andriivka
Myronivka
Toretsk
Petrivka
10 miles
Horlivka
March 1, 2023
Spirne
Fedorivka
Berestove
Pryvillia
HELD BY
UKRAINE
HELD BY
RUSSIA
Bakhmut
Andriivka
Myronivka
RUSSIAN ADVANCE
(MARCH - APRIL)
Toretsk
Petrivka
10 miles
Horlivka
April 1, 2023
HELD BY
UKRAINE
HELD BY
RUSSIA
Bakhmut
Andriivka
Myronivka
RUSSIAN ADVANCE
(APRIL - MAY)
Toretsk
Petrivka
10 miles
Horlivka
May 1, 2023
HELD BY
UKRAINE
HELD BY
RUSSIA
Bakhmut
RECLAIMED BY
UKRAINE
(MAY 1 - MAY 21)
Andriivka
Myronivka
Toretsk
Petrivka
RUSSIAN ADVANCE
(MAY 1 - MAY 21)
10 miles
Horlivka
May 21, 2023
Although analysts say Bakhmut has limited strategic significance to the wider war, the city became the site of some of the deadliest urban combat of the war, with thousands of casualties for both Russia and Ukraine.
Despite the high cost, Kyiv maintains that defending Bakhmut for this long has bogged down the Russian army, providing Ukraine with valuable time to train and rearm its own troops for a coming counteroffensive.
Russia’s attacks in Bakhmut initially relied heavily on the Wagner group, a private paramilitary force, which has recruited tens of thousands of Russian prisoners to fight in the war in exchange for high salaries and their freedom — if they survived. But the prolonged fight has depleted Russia’s supply of prisoner recruits and forced it to use more of its professional recruits, according to Ukrainian officials.
Although Russia has declared victory in Bakhmut, most of the city is in ruins, with its infrastructure devastated, and no access to electricity or running water. For the past year, the Ukrainian government urged residents to evacuate the city of nearly 80,000 and by March, it estimated that only around 4,000 people remained.
Jan. 25, 2023
Ukrainian forces retreat from Soledar after months of fighting
Ukraine confirmed that its forces had withdrawn from Soledar, a small salt-mining town in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, after months of fierce artillery battles that have destroyed much of the town.
Russian control of Soledar brings its forces closer to the city of Bakhmut, just six miles southwest, where one of the bloodiest battles of the war continues. Both sides have thrown masses of troops into the fight there for months, suffering heavy casualties.
Soledar is Russia’s first notable victory since its grinding gains in eastern Ukraine over the summer. In the fall, Ukraine executed a string of successful counteroffensives, retaking vast swathes of northeastern Ukraine and major ground in the south. In November, Russia withdrew from the southern city of Kherson, as it became too costly to defend.
There have been few changes in territorial control since then, as the pace of the war has slowed over winter. But renewed Russian assaults are expected in the spring as Russia deploys more of its mobilized recruits to the frontlines.
Nov. 14, 2022
Ukraine has reclaimed more than half the territory Russia has taken this year
Ukraine has reclaimed 54 percent of the land Russia has captured since the beginning of the war, according to a New York Times analysis of data provided by the Institute for the Study of War.
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Ovruch
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Detail area
Romny
Brovary
Bucha
Pryluky
Zhytomyr
Kyiv
Kharkiv
LUHANSK
Sievierodonetsk
Izium
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Dnipro
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
DONETSK
Zaporizhzhia
Voznesensk
MOL.
Line of contact
before invasion
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Kherson
Odesa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
100 miles
RUSSIA
BEL.
Kyiv
UKR.
Chernihiv
Ovruch
Sumy
Detail
area
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Izium
Luhansk
Donetsk
Line of contact
before invasion
Mariupol
Kherson
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
BLACK
SEA
100 miles
Ukraine reclaimed an important city this past weekend when Russian troops retreated from Kherson after nearly nine months of occupation. The city was a critical element in Russia’s goal of controlling the southern coast.
Ukraine’s military has had significant momentum since September in pushing Russia out of the northeast and southern parts of the county. Russia currently controls about 18 percent of Ukraine. That area includes much of the Donetsk and Luhansk Provinces in the east, as well as Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014.
Nov. 12, 2022
Russian forces leave Kherson after months of occupation
Ukrainian troops re-entered the southern city of Kherson on Friday after nearly nine months of Russian occupation. The city was a key link in Russia’s effort to control the southern coastline along the Black Sea.
When areas were reclaimed by Ukraine
Kyiv
Before Nov. 10
UKRAINE
Detail area
Novopetrivka
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
Dudchany
Dnipro River
Mykolaiv
Charivne
Nov. 11
Nov. 10
Kakhovka dam
Kherson
Antonivsky
Bridge
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
Ridne
Nove
Bekhtery
20 miles
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Before Nov. 10
Detail area
Novopetrivka
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
Dudchany
Nov. 10
Dnipro River
Mykolaiv
Charivne
Nov. 11
Kakhovka dam
Kherson
Antonivsky
Bridge
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
Ridne
Nove
Bekhtery
20 miles
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Before Nov. 10
Detail area
Novopetrivka
RECLAIMED BY UKRAINE
Dudchany
Nov. 10
Dnipro River
Mykolaiv
Charivne
Nov. 11
Kakhovka dam
Kherson
Antonivsky Bridge
CONTROLLED BY RUSSIA
Ridne
Nove
Bekhtery
20 miles
The Antonivsky Bridge, the main crossing over the Dnipro River into Kherson, was heavily damaged in an explosion on Friday morning, which would make it difficult for Ukrainian troops to pursue Russian soldiers east of the river. But it also gave residents a measure of confidence that Russian troops could not easily return.
The next major river crossing, at the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, was also significantly damaged. The road over the dam, which is about 30 miles upstream from the Antonivsky Bridge, was one of the last major crossings left to Russian forces.
Nov. 10, 2022
Russia announces a retreat from Kherson
Ukrainian troops were advancing in the south on Thursday after Russia’s announcement of a retreat from the strategic port city of Kherson and the surrounding area along the western bank of the Dnipro River.
Dnipropetrovsk
Nikopol
RECLAIMED BY
UKRAINE
MYKOLAIV
Ukrainian
advance Nov. 8–9
DNIPRO RIVER
Mykolaiv
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
Russia said it was
withdrawing
from this area
Kherson
DNIPRO
GULF
Kyiv
KHERSON
UKRAINE
Detail area
20 miles
Dnipropetrovsk
MYKOLAIV
RECLAIMED BY
UKRAINE
Ukrainian
advance Nov. 8–9
DNIPRO RIVER
Mykolaiv
Russia said it was
withdrawing
from this area
Kherson
KHERSON
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Detail area
20 miles
Many details about the retreat remained unknown on Thursday. It was unclear how many of the estimated 40,000 soldiers sent by Moscow to the region remained, how far along they were in their retreat and whether a contingent had been left behind to fight in the city.
Ukrainian officials said that Moscow’s announcement of a withdrawal from the capital of the Kherson region could be a trap meant to lure their forces into brutal urban combat.
Military analysts said they believed that Russia would try to maintain defensive positions near the banks of the Dnipro River to protect its withdrawal route. With only one major road over a dam north of the city left to the Russians, they have relied on a series of ferries and pontoons to move back and forth across the river.
Updated Oct. 11, 2022
Where Russian missiles hit Ukraine
Russian missiles struck nearly every region of Ukraine on Monday morning, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens more in the broadest attack since the early days of Moscow’s invasion.
Most of the targets were civilian infrastructure sites that provide heat and electricity, according to Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukraine’s president, and at least five regions were left without power. But the targets also included residential neighborhoods, with strikes hitting an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia and a playground in the capital, Kyiv.
Several missiles struck Kyiv in the largest attack on the city in months. A number of civilian areas were targeted, blowing out windows, setting vehicles ablaze and forcing residents to spend several hours in basements and subway stations as air raid sirens blared.
In a televised address on Monday, President Vladimir V. Putin said Russia had targeted “energy, military command and communications facilities of Ukraine” in response to Saturday’s attack on the Kerch Bridge, which links Russia with Crimea. He warned that “no one should have any doubt” that Russia will defend itself.
Mr. Putin has been facing increasing pressure from pro-war nationalists, as his forces in Ukraine faced one retreat after another in recent weeks, losing some 1,200 square miles of hard-won territory in the south and east. Russian hardliners celebrated on Monday, saying the attacks were a long-awaited sign that the Kremlin was intensifying its attacks against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
Updated Oct. 9, 2022
Pressing on two fronts, Ukraine extends its gains in the east and makes a sudden advance in the south
The dramatic explosion Saturday on the bridge that served as a critical Russian supply line was another blow to the Russian military coming after weeks of losing ground to Ukrainian forces.
Through the summer and spring, Ukrainian officials said repeatedly that the Ukrainian army would counterattack Russia at its most vulnerable position, in southern Ukraine. But when the counteroffensive came, the Ukrainians attacked in two locations simultaneously: in the south, as expected, and in a surprise advance in Ukraine’s northeast.
Detail
area
Kyiv
Kupiansk
UKRAINE
Svatove
Izium
Oskil
Kreminna
Lyman
10 miles
Lysychansk
Detail
area
Svatove
Izium
Lyman
20 miles
Sept. 23
Kupiansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Oskil
Kreminna
Lyman
10 miles
Lysychansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Lyman
20 miles
Sept. 26
Kupiansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Oskil
Kreminna
Lyman
10 miles
Lysychansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Lyman
20 miles
Sept. 29
Kupiansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Oskil
Kreminna
Lyman
10 miles
Lysychansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Lyman
20 miles
Oct. 2
Kupiansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Oskil
Kreminna
Lyman
10 miles
Lysychansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Lyman
20 miles
Oct. 4
Kupiansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Oskil
Kreminna
Lyman
10 miles
Lysychansk
Orlianka
Svatove
Izium
Lyman
20 miles
Oct. 6
The twin counterstrikes shifted the momentum in the war to Ukraine after months of bloody stalemate and signaled to Western allies its capability to reclaim occupied territory, lessening the pressure to negotiate a settlement that would leave Russia controlling land it captured. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia responded by annexing and declaring four provinces of Ukraine part of Russia and saying he would defend them by any means, a thinly veiled threat of a nuclear strike.
Ukraine’s double offensive takes advantage of the geometry of the war along a semicircle of frontline. The Russian military cannot quickly shift forces between the two fronts in the counteroffensive as it must move outside the semicircle, while the Ukrainian army, inside the circle, can move in shorter, straighter lines.
Ukraine has continued to reclaim occupied territory in the northeast, east and south. The southern offensive began on Aug. 29 with M113 armored personnel carriers, provided by the United States, advancing on Russian forces on the western bank of the Dnipro River, isolated from supply lines by the broad waterway. After a slow start, the assault led to the recapturing of a swath of territory in early October. In the northeast, Ukraine routed Russian forces. Ukraine reclaimed two key railway hubs, Izium and Lyman.
Across both fronts, Ukraine has recaptured more than 1,200 square miles over the two weeks that ended on Oct. 6.
Daily Ukrainian territorial gains
400 square miles
About 420
square miles
were reclaimed
on Tuesday.
300
200
100
0
Sept.
23
Oct.
6
400 square miles
About 420
square miles
were reclaimed
on Tuesday.
300
200
100
0
Sept.
23
Oct.
6
Most of the territorial gains were made in the northeast until a week ago, when the Ukrainian army began reclaiming towns and villages in the south. Anticipating an attack in the south, the Russian army prepared better defenses than it had in the northeast, a Ukrainian commander said.
Krasnivka
Tokareve
Dudchany
Shyroke
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Blahodatne
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kherson
Detail area
20 miles
20 miles
Tokareve
Mykolaiv
Kherson
Detail
area
Oct. 1
Krasnivka
Tokareve
Dudchany
Shyroke
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Blahodatne
Kherson
20 miles
20 miles
Tokareve
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Kherson
Oct. 2
Krasnivka
Tokareve
Dudchany
Shyroke
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Blahodatne
Kherson
20 miles
20 miles
Tokareve
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Kherson
Oct. 3
Krasnivka
Tokareve
Dudchany
Shyroke
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Blahodatne
Kherson
20 miles
20 miles
Tokareve
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Kherson
Oct. 4
Krasnivka
Tokareve
Dudchany
Shyroke
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Blahodatne
Kherson
20 miles
20 miles
Tokareve
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Kherson
Oct. 5
Krasnivka
Tokareve
Dudchany
Shyroke
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Blahodatne
Kherson
20 miles
20 miles
Tokareve
Mykolaiv
Lymanets
Kherson
Oct. 6
Risks for Ukraine include advancing too quickly, outpacing the ability to resupply soldiers and exposing them to counterattacks, military analysts say. Other risks loom, too, such as moving too slowly. After the counteroffensive began, Russia announced its first wartime draft since World War II, and Ukraine has said some of those new recruits have been sent to the front, reinforcing Russian lines.
Oct. 4, 2022
Ukraine forces a Russian retreat with a rapid advance in the south
After making modest territorial gains in southern Ukraine over the past several weeks, the Ukrainian military’s advance has accelerated in the past few days, even as Russia plans to mobilize thousands of new troops to join the front lines.
Counterattacks in the south have resulted in Russia hurriedly retreating from positions it has controlled since the early days of the war. In the Kherson region, Ukrainian forces are reported to have broken through near Dudchany, a settlement on the west bank of the Dnipro River, about 17 miles behind where the front line was a week ago.
Reclaimed
since Sept. 29
Kyiv
UKRAINE
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
Detail area
Novopetrivka
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
Dudchany
Dnipro River
Charivne
Mykolaiv
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
UKRAINIAN
ADVANCES
Kherson
Ridne
Nove
Bekhtery
20 miles
Kyiv
Reclaimed
since
Sept. 29
UKRAINE
Detail area
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
Novopetrivka
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
Dudchany
Dnipro River
Mykolaiv
Charivne
UKRAINIAN
ADVANCES
Kherson
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
Nove
Ridne
Bekhtery
20 miles
Analysts said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive could have a significant impact on the shape of the war. The counterattacks in Kherson could have a “domino effect” in the region and allow Ukraine to advance on the city of Kherson in the near future, according to a research note from Konrad Muzyka, a military analyst at Rochan Consulting.
Kherson is the only major city that Russia controls on the west bank of the Dnipro River. Even though Russia’s troops are dug in after months of controlling the area, their supplies and logistical support are on the other side of the river, complicating its defense.
Building on their success in recapturing Lyman last week, Ukrainian forces have continued to advance in the east and have reportedly entered the region of Luhansk, which had been entirely occupied by Russian troops for several months.
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
UKRAINE
KHARKIV
Reclaimed
since Sept. 29
LUHANSK
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
UKRAINIAN
ADVANCES
DONETSK
Zaporizhzhia
KHERSON
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
CRIMEA
Detail
area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
UKRAINE
KHARKIV
Reclaimed
since Sept. 29
LUHANSK
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
DONETSK
UKRAINIAN
ADVANCES
Zaporizhzhia
KHERSON
Detail
area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
CRIMEA
The counterattack in Luhansk is a major setback for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Luhansk is one of the four regions that Mr. Putin declared Russia was annexing last week, despite the move being widely denounced by leaders in Ukraine and the West. Ukraine controls towns in all of these regions, and the Kremlin has admitted that it has not yet determined the borders of the annexed territory.
Oct. 1, 2022
Pressed by Ukrainian forces, Russia retreats from Lyman
Russian forces on Saturday withdrew from the eastern city of Lyman, a strategic rail hub, putting more pressure on the Kremlin and giving Ukraine’s military a foothold to try to advance farther east.
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
AS OF SEPT. 29
Shevchenkove
Kupiansk
Krokhmalne
RUSSIAN
SUPPLY LINES
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
Zahryzove
Svatove
Borova
RAILWAYS
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
Izium
Ukrainian
advances
Oskil
Lypove
Russian
retreat
Kreminna
Lyman
Dolyna
Sievierodonetsk
Detail
area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Sloviansk
10 miles
Detail
area
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
AS OF SEPT. 29
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kupiansk
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
Krokhmalne
Zahryzove
Svatove
RUSSIAN
SUPPLY LINES
RAILWAYS
Izium
Ukrainian
advances
Oskil
Kreminna
Russian
retreat
Lyman
Dolyna
Sloviansk
10 miles
The loss of Lyman, a city in Donetsk Province with a pre-war population of 20,000, is particularly poorly timed for the Kremlin after it illegally declared its annexation of four regions in Ukraine — including the region that is home to Lyman.
Hours after Ukraine’s defense ministry said its forces were entering the city, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it had made the decision to pull out of Lyman. Confirmation of the withdrawal staved off a potential worst-case scenario for the Kremlin in which Russian troops were trapped in the city.
The next target, if the Ukrainian military continues its advance, would likely be the city of Svatove, north east of Lyman, according to analysts.
Sept. 30, 2022
Ukraine is on the verge of encircling Lyman, a major rail hub
Even as Russia announced it would annex four Ukrainian provinces, its military faced continued pressure on the ground. Ukrainian forces are close to encircling the city of Lyman, a major rail hub, in a continuation of their eastern counteroffensive that has reclaimed thousands of square miles of territory this month.
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
Shevchenkove
Kupiansk
Krokhmalne
RUSSIAN
SUPPLY LINES
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
Zahryzove
Svatove
Borova
RAILWAYS
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
Izium
Ukrainian
advances
Oskil
Lypove
Kreminna
Lyman
Dolyna
Sievierodonetsk
Detail
area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Sloviansk
10 miles
Detail
area
Kyiv
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
UKRAINE
Kupiansk
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
Krokhmalne
Zahryzove
Svatove
RUSSIAN
SUPPLY LINES
RAILWAYS
Izium
Ukrainian
advances
Oskil
Kreminna
Lyman
Dolyna
Sloviansk
10 miles
The Ukrainian military has closed in on Lyman from the west and south, aiming to fully envelop the city and cut off the remaining Russian troops. The routes out of Lyman appear to be controlled by Ukraine or within its artillery range, complicating a potential Russian withdrawal.
The loss of Lyman would be a serious setback for Russia. The city has been key to transporting supplies to Moscow’s troops in eastern Ukraine. If Ukraine controlled those supply lines, it could support further Ukrainian attacks in western Luhansk, including on nearby Lysychansk, one of the largest cities Russia has captured since the invasion began.
While Ukraine still retains momentum in the east, the imminent arrival of thousands of newly mobilized Russian troops could shift the balance there.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has announced a mobilization that could call up 300,000 civilians into military service. The first of those recruits are already arriving at the frontlines, according to Serhiy Haidai, the regional governor of Luhansk.
By holding control of Lyman for as long as possible, Russia has bought time for these mobilized troops to arrive at new defensive positions in Luhansk. But this strategy has come at a “very high cost,” according to a research note from Konrad Musyka, a military analyst at Rochan Consulting.
In southern Ukraine, recent Ukrainian advances have slowed, with no major territorial changes in the past week. The Ukrainian military has continued to pressure Russia by striking military and logistical targets around Kherson. And on Friday, a Russian strike killed at least 25 civilians who were waiting at a checkpoint and bus stop in Zaporizhzhia.
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
UKRAINE
KHARKIV
LUHANSK
Ukrainian
advances
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
DONETSK
Zaporizhzhia
KHERSON
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
CRIMEA
Detail
area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
RECLAIMED
BY UKRAINE
UKRAINE
KHARKIV
LUHANSK
RUSSIAN
POSITIONS
CONTROLLED
BY RUSSIA
Ukrainian
advances
DONETSK
Zaporizhzhia
KHERSON
Detail
area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
CRIMEA
Mr. Putin has illegally declared that four provinces of Ukraine — Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia — will become part of Russia following hastily arranged sham referendums. Ukraine still controls areas of all four provinces, and the move has been met with international condemnation.
Sept. 12, 2022
Ukraine recaptured 3,400 square miles in one week
... than Russia did in the last five months.
Ukraine captured more territory in the last week ...
3,400 sq.
miles
2,000 sq.
miles
Kyiv
Kyiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
UKRAINE
Russian
advance
CRIMEA
CRIMEA
Ukraine captured more
territory in the last week ...
3,400 sq.
miles
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Russian
advance
CRIMEA
... than Russia did in
the last five months.
2,000 sq.
miles
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
CRIMEA
After Russia’s military abandoned efforts to capture Kyiv in April, it shifted to a narrower war in eastern Ukraine, with some success. Russian forces inched forward for months, relying on brutal and indiscriminate artillery fire to flatten cities and gain ground.
Ukraine regained the same amount of territory, and more, in just the past week.
The lightning speed of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region surprised even Ukrainian officials, who were still working on Monday to consolidate control of the areas they had seized. Russian defenses in the area failed, reshaping the contours of the war and putting a beleaguered Russian military on the defensive.
“There were too few troops to defend the area,” said Konrad Muzyka, a military analyst and director of Rochan Consulting. “Once the Ukrainian armed forces crossed the first line of defense — if there was one — then the entire front collapsed, as there were no real forces to face Ukrainians.”
Russia still holds vast swaths of Ukraine, including critical cities and towns throughout the Luhansk region that its military had captured over the past several months. One critical question is whether Ukraine can extend its recent gains to the east, into Luhansk, where Russian forces will try to reestablish a defensive line.
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
LUHANSK
Detail area
Izium
Luhansk
UKRAINE
DONETSK
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Line of contact
before invasion
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Kherson
SEA OF AZOV
RUSSIA
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
100 miles
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
LUHANSK
Izium
Detail area
Luhansk
UKRAINE
DONETSK
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Line of contact
before invasion
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Kherson
SEA OF
AZOV
RUSSIA
CRIMEA
BLACK
SEA
100 miles
Ukraine’s capture of Izium, a rail hub that Russian forces abandoned on Saturday, deprives Moscow of a key military supply route and increases the transport links available to Kyiv’s troops.
Ukrainian forces have also made more modest advances in the southern Kherson region over the past several weeks. On Monday, the Ukrainian military claimed it had retaken more territory there, although those claims could not be independently confirmed. Russian soldiers west of the Dnipro River appear to be increasingly isolated as Ukrainian attacks erode Russian defenses and shell bridges over the river.
Zach Levitt and Denise Lu
Sept. 11, 2022
Ukraine continues to oust Russia in the northeast
After retaking Izium, a key Russian logistics hub, Ukrainian troops continued on Sunday to push out Russian forces from northeastern Ukraine.
Experts say the rout could be a decisive moment in the war. Ukraine’s recapture of most of Kharkiv Province has significantly weakened Russia’s hold on eastern Ukraine, a region that Russia has used as a stronghold to wage its war since February.
Detail area
Kyiv
UKR.
RUSSIA
Vovchansk
Hoptivka
Borshchova
Kharkiv
Artemivka
Chuhuiv
Kupiansk
Chkalovske
Extent of Russian
advance on Sept. 6
LUHANSK
Oskil River
Balakliya
UKRAINE
Svatove
KHARKIV
Izium
Lyman
Dibrivne
Kramatorsk
30 miles
DONETSK
RUSSIA
Vovchansk
Hoptivka
Siverskyi Donets River
Borshchova
Kharkiv
Artemivka
Chuhuiv
Kupiansk
Chkalovske
Shevchenkove
UKRAINE
Extent of Russian
advance on Sept. 6
Oskil River
Balakliya
Svatove
LUHANSK
KHARKIV
Husarivka
Izium
Krasnopavlivka
Lyman
Dibrivne
Detail area
Kyiv
UKR.
DONETSK
Kramatorsk
15 miles
Ukrainian officials claimed their forces had recaptured several settlements, including Hoptivka near the Russian border and Chkalovske near the city of Kharkiv, though these claims could not be independently verified. Additional statements from the Ukrainian military claim that Russian troops were withdrawing from Borshchova and Artemivka near Kharkiv as well as Svatove in the Luhansk region.
Ukrainian forces have also recaptured Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region near the border with Russia. The settlement lies on a key line of communication from a Russian military hub into northeastern Ukraine.
A map released by Russia of areas it claims to control in the Kharkiv region appeared to confirm that most of its forces have withdrawn to the eastern side of the Oskil River, which runs south from the Russian border, with Izium on the west and the Donbas region on the east.
Sept. 10, 2022
In stunning retreat, Russia loses key northeastern cities to Ukrainian offensive
Russia’s front lines have collapsed in a crucial pocket of northeast Ukraine, ceding a wide area to a surprise Ukrainian offensive. Russian forces abandoned a critical logistics hub, the city of Izium, a loss that could lead to a turning point in the war.
Detail area
Kyiv
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Chuhuiv
Ukrainian advances
Kupiansk
Shevchenkove
Reclaimed
by Ukraine
Balakliya
Oskil River
Izium
Approx. area
retaken by
Ukraine, Sept. 10
Lyman
Dibrivne
Ozerne
Kramatorsk
30 miles
RUSSIA
Siverskyi Donets River
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Chuhuiv
Ukrainian advances
Kupiansk
Reclaimed
by Ukraine
Shevchenkove
Oskil River
Balakliya
Husarivka
Approx. area
retaken by
Ukraine, Sept. 10
Izium
Krasnopavlivka
Lyman
Dibrivne
DONETSK
KHARKIV
Ozerne
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kramatorsk
15 miles
While the exact extent of Ukrainian control remained fluid, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the broad retreat from Izium and the town of Balakliya on Saturday, just a day after saying it was reinforcing the area. Russia’s statement framed the loss as a strategic retreat meant to reinforce its position in the eastern Donbas region.
The Ukrainian offensive has reshaped what was becoming a grinding war of attrition. One village after another has fallen, including the west side of the town of Kupiansk, according to George Barros, an analyst for the Institute for the Study of War, and images of Ukrainian troops.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to be dogged by manpower and logistical issues. Russian forces in the northeast left their flanks undefended, perhaps because of growing shortages of troops, exhausted conscripts and low morale.
Ukraine’s advance in the northern front comes as it continues to push against the Russian line in the south near Kherson, where Ukrainian gains have been more modest.
In the last five days, the Ukrainian military has rapidly advanced into territory previously held by Russia. Fires detected by NASA’s satellites in the region may show evidence of the battles that accompanied the Ukrainian advance.
15 miles
Kupiansk
Shevchenkove
Oskil River
Balakliya
Fire
detections
Husarivka
Izium
Lyman
Kyiv
Detail
area
UKRAINE
Ozerne
Kupiansk
Shevchenkove
Oskil River
Balakliya
Husarivka
Izium
Lyman
Dibrivne
Ozerne
Kupiansk
Shevchenkove
Oskil River
Balakliya
Husarivka
Izium
Lyman
Dibrivne
Ozerne
Kupiansk
Shevchenkove
Oskil River
Balakliya
Husarivka
Izium
Lyman
Dibrivne
Ozerne
Kupiansk
Shevchenkove
40 miles
Oskil River
Balakliya
Husarivka
Izium
Extent on
Sept. 6
Lyman
Dibrivne
Ozerne
Far fewer fires were detected west of the Oskil River on Saturday, indicating a break in the fighting as Russian forces retreated and Ukraine regained control.
Sept. 9, 2022
Ukraine rapidly advances around a key northeastern city
Ukraine’s military made significant advances in recent days near the northeastern city of Izium, a key Russian stronghold, according to military analysts and geolocated photos and videos. The breakthrough — possibly some 50 kilometers in just a few days — threatened to encircle Russian forces, which appeared to be caught by surprise.
RUSSIA
Reclaimed by
Ukraine before
Aug. 29
Siverskyi Donets River
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Chuhuiv
Kupiansk
Shevchenkove
Zmiiv
Apparent Ukrainian
advances
LUHANSK
Oskil River
Balakliya
Recently
reclaimed
by Ukraine
Husarivka
Izium
Krasnopavlivka
Lyman
Dibrivne
Lysychansk
KHARKIV
Ozerne
Kyiv
Detail area
UKRAINE
Kramatorsk
15 miles
DONETSK
Detail area
Kyiv
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
UKRAINE
Reclaimed by
Ukraine before
Aug. 29
Kharkiv
Chuhuiv
Kupiansk
Shevchenkove
Apparent Ukrainian
advances
Recently
reclaimed
by Ukraine
Oskil River
Balakliya
Izium
Krasnopavlivka
Lyman
Dibrivne
Ozerne
Kramatorsk
30 miles
RUSSIA
Siverskyi Donets River
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Chuhuiv
Kupiansk
Reclaimed by
Ukraine before
Aug. 29
Shevchenkove
Apparent Ukrainian
advances
Oskil River
Balakliya
Recently
reclaimed
by Ukraine
Husarivka
Izium
Krasnopavlivka
Lyman
Dibrivne
DONETSK
KHARKIV
Ozerne
Kyiv
Detail area
UKRAINE
Kramatorsk
15 miles
The progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the east, paired with slower, more limited gains in the south, represents some of the most significant changes to the frontlines of the war in months.
The exact positions of Ukrainian forces around Izium could not be independently confirmed. The Russian military released a video with what it said were reinforcements headed to the Kharkiv area, but it has not made detailed statements about the status of the fighting.
But military analysts, satellite detections and photos and videos of Ukrainian forces indicate that they moved rapidly east toward Kupiansk in recent days, possibly getting close to the outskirts of the city. Capturing Kupiansk could threaten Russian supply lines to Izium. And the Ukrainian military claimed to capture the city of Balakliya, prompting Russian military bloggers to complain that Russia was poorly prepared.
The situation is fluid, and further Ukrainian gains may be more heavily contested as Russia stabilizes its response.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the east came in parallel to a push in the south that it had prepared for months, around the regional capital, Kherson. Russia was forced to redeploy troops to shore up its defenses in this area, which may have left its remaining forces in the east more thinly spread.
Ukrainian advances in the south have been slower. Ukrainian troops are fighting to push Russian troops back from the western side of the Dnipro river, which Russia has controlled since the first week of the invasion. After 12 days of intense fighting and shelling, Ukrainian forces have reclaimed a number of small settlements along the frontline.
Pryvillia
Kyiv
DNIPROPETROVSK
UKRAINE
Detail area
Bashtanka
Reclaimed by
Ukraine before
Aug. 29
Arkhanhelske
Petrivka
MYKOLAYIV
Recently reclaimed
by Ukraine
Dudchany
Kostromka
Dnipro River
Chervone
Mykolayiv
Rubanivka
Kostromka
UKRAINIAN ATTACKS
Lvove
Nova Khakovka dam bridge
Sept. 2
Darivka
Nova Khakovka
Pontoon
Ferry
Aug. 29
Kherson
Pontoon
bridge
Sept. 5
Oleksandrivka
DNIPROVSKA
GULF
Antonivsky
bridge
Aug. 30
KHERSON
10 miles
DNIPROPETROVSK
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Detail area
Pryvillia
Reclaimed by
Ukraine before
Aug. 29
Bashtanka
Arkhanhelske
Petrivka
MYKOLAYIV
Dudchany
Recently reclaimed
by Ukraine
Kostromka
Dnipro River
Chervone
Mykolayiv
Kostromka
UKRAINIAN ATTACKS
Nova Khakovka
dam bridge
Sept. 2
Lvove
Darivka
Nova Khakovka
Kherson
Oleksandrivka
Pontoon
Ferry
Aug. 29
Pontoon
bridge
Sept. 5
KHERSON
Antonivsky
bridge
Aug. 30
20 miles
Recently
reclaimed
by Ukraine
Voznesensk
Reclaimed by
Ukraine before
Aug. 29
Arkhanhelske
Dnipro River
Kostromka
Mykolayiv
UKRAINIAN ATTACKS
Nova
Khakovka
dam bridge
Sept. 2
Lvove
Darivka
Kherson
Pontoon
Ferry
Aug. 29
Antonivsky
bridge
Aug. 30
Pontoon
bridge
Sept. 5
40 miles
Despite the successes, Ukrainian officials have warned that it will be a slow grind to reclaim more territory. Russian forces have shifted to defensive positions and have heavily mined the surrounding area.
The advances follow weeks of Ukrainian strikes on Russian equipment behind the frontlines, including ammunition depots and command posts.
July 1, 2022
Ukrainian counterattacks edge closer to Kherson
While Russia concentrates the bulk of its combat forces on its offensive aimed at taking control of the eastern Donbas region, Ukraine has staged a string of successful counterattacks in southern Ukraine on another critical front in the war.
MYKOLAIV
Provincial
border
Mykolaiv
Shevchenkove
Posad-Pokrovske
Dnipro River
Kherson
Kyiv
KHERSON
UKRAINE
20 miles
Detail area
Novopetrivka
Pervomaiske
Mykolaiv
Dnipro River
Kherson
Mykolaiv
Novomykolaivka
Dnipro River
Kherson
Novopetrivka
Russia retook
control
Mykolaiv
Zelenyi Hai
Barvinok
Dnipro River
Kherson
While the fight in eastern Ukraine has taken a heavy toll on both armies, with thousands of casualties, the fight to reclaim the vast stretches of the south controlled by Russia are critical to Ukraine’s survival as an economically viable, independent state.
Ukrainian forces are attacking Russian positions along multiple fronts west of the Dnipro River and have made significant gains in the Kherson region. Russian forces seized the territory in the first weeks of the war and have been steadily fortifying their positions.
The Ukrainians have broken through the outer perimeter defenses of the Russians outside of the city of Kherson, the regional capital, and have taken back several towns and villages.
However, the Ukrainian losses in the east and the limited supply of Western weapons — along with soldiers trained to use them — have slowed the Ukrainian counteroffensive. And as Ukrainian forces start to come up against Russians dug into defensive positions, military analysts say it could be a long bloody struggle to recapture populated urban centers.
The Russians have staged several attacks seeking to thwart the Ukrainian counteroffensive, but a senior U.S. defense department official said this week that the Ukrainians have so far been able to largely hold onto their gains. The Ukrainian military has said it is not naming all the villages and towns it is fighting in, in order to maintain operational security.
The city of Kherson sits in the delta of the Dnipro River, which runs the length of Ukraine and essentially divides the country along an east-west axis. Kherson is the only city Russia controls west of the river. It provides a vital staging ground for Russian forces across the south, with rail lines linking it to Crimea to the south and Russian-occupied territories to the east.
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
Sumy
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Luhansk
Dnipro
River
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
Odesa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Dnipro
River
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Mykolaiv
Odesa
Mariupol
Kherson
CRIMEA
Russia continues to take steps to “Russify” the population, by introducing the ruble, cutting the region off from Ukrainian internet and cellular providers and issuing Russian passports.
But even as the Russian proxy leaders there continue to talk about plans to formally integrate the Kherson region with Russia through a referendum or some other method, a growing insurgency is challenging their efforts to consolidate power. Ukrainian guerilla fighters have assassinated Kremlin-approved local leaders, sabotaged Russian infrastructure and assisted the Ukrainian military in targeting Russian forces behind enemy lines.
Updated June 26, 2022
Russia launches barrage of missiles across Ukraine
Russian forces launched a large-scale cruise missile attack on locations across Ukraine on Saturday and Sunday, Ukrainian officials said, in one of the largest and most coordinated airstrikes in weeks. The missiles were launched from bombers in Belarusian airspace, from warships in the Black Sea and from aircraft flying over the Caspian Sea.
LITHUANIA
Six bombers flew into Belarusian
airspace from which they
launched their missiles.
Moscow
RUSSIA
Minsk
Shaykovka airfield
BELARUS
POLAND
Russia fired long-range
missiles from aircraft
flying over the Caspian Sea.
Desna
Kyiv
Yavoriv
Zhytomyr
UKRAINE
Lysychansk
ROMANIA
MOLDOVA
Mykolaiv
Russian warships fired missiles at Yavoriv more than 400 miles to the north.
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
200 miles
BALTIC
SEA
RUSSIA
Six bombers flew into
Belarusian airspace
from which they
launched their missiles.
Moscow
Minsk
Shaykovka airfield
POLAND
BELARUS
Russia fired long-range
missiles from aircraft flying
over the Caspian Sea.
Desna
Kyiv
Yavoriv
Zhytomyr
UKRAINE
Lysychansk
MOLDOVA
ROMANIA
Mykolaiv
Russian warships
fired missiles at
Yavoriv more
than 400 miles
to the north.
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
200 miles
LITHUANIA
Six bombers flew into Belarusian
airspace from which they
launched their missiles.
Moscow
RUSSIA
Minsk
Shaykovka airfield
BELARUS
POLAND
Russia fired long-range
missiles from aircraft
flying over the Caspian Sea.
Desna
Kyiv
Yavoriv
Zhytomyr
Kazakhstan
UKRAINE
Lysychansk
ROMANIA
MOLDOVA
Mykolaiv
Russian warships fired missiles at Yavoriv more than 400 miles to the north.
CASPIAN
SEA
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
200 miles
Ukrainian intelligence said that six Russian Tu-22M3 strike bombers took off from Shaykovka airfield in Russia’s Kaluga region, flying over Smolensk, before entering Belarusian airspace. Once they were within about 30 miles of the Ukrainian border, officials said, they fired at least 12 cruise missiles before returning to Russian airspace. The missiles struck targets in the northern part of the country, the military said.
Tupolev Tu-22M
This long-range bomber was first put into mass production in 1978.
139 ft.
Tupolev Tu-22M
This long-range bomber was first put into mass production in 1978.
139 ft.
The mayor of the southern city of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, also said via telegram that Russian forces hit civilian infrastructure with missiles launched from Russian-occupied territory.
Russia unleashed a new round of missiles at Kyiv on Sunday, hitting an apartment building, killing at least one person, officials said. Another explosion damaged a nearby kindergarten. This was the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks. A spokesman for Ukraine’s Air Force Command said that the long-range missiles were fired from aircraft flying over the Caspian Sea, which lies more than 900 miles southeast of Kyiv.
June 22, 2022
How Russia regained momentum in eastern Ukraine
After weeks of grinding advances in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, Russia is on the verge of claiming a significant victory, the city of Sievierodonetsk. Here is where Russia has gained ground in recent weeks and where Russian forces are attacking now.
Administrative
border
Izium
Sievierodonetsk
Lyman
Bohorodychne
Metolkine
Lysychansk
LUHANSK
Toshkivka
Mykolaivka
Sloviansk
Berestove
Komyshuvakha
Zolote
Kramatorsk
Bakhmut
Popasna
Svitlodarsk
DONBAS
DONETSK
Horlivka
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Detail
area
Donetsk
50 miles
LUHANSK
Administrative
border
Izium
Sievierodonetsk
Lyman
Lysychansk
Toshkivka
Mykolaivka
Sloviansk
Berestove
Zolote
Kramatorsk
Bakhmut
Popasna
Svitlodarsk
DONETSK
Horlivka
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Donetsk
Detail
area
50 miles
LUHANSK
Administrative
border
Izium
Sievierodonetsk
Lyman
Lysychansk
Toshkivka
Mykolaivka
Sloviansk
Berestove
Zolote
Kramatorsk
Bakhmut
Popasna
Svitlodarsk
DONETSK
Horlivka
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Donetsk
Detail
area
50 miles
Sievierodonetsk is under an intense Russian assault that has destroyed all of the bridges that connect the city to Ukraine-held territory. The remaining Ukrainian defenders in the city are surrounded in a chemical plant, recalling the final battle for Mariupol, where fighters held out in a steel plant.
Russia’s slow but steady progress in this stage of the war reflects a change in strategy. In late April, Russia’s limited supply of troops were split across many different fronts, and its progress ground to a halt. But by redeploying troops to concentrate on a narrow target, Russia has reestablished momentum and made a series of important territorial gains.
These maps show the growth of Russian troops in the Donbas over the past few months, according to an analysis by Henry Schlottman, an independent military analyst.
Izium
Sievierodonetsk
Lysychansk
Sloviansk
Popasna
UKRAINE
Horlivka
Donetsk
Izium
Sievierodonetsk
Lysychansk
Sloviansk
Popasna
UKRAINE
Horlivka
Donetsk
Izium
Sievierodonetsk
Lysychansk
Sloviansk
Popasna
UKRAINE
Horlivka
Donetsk
Along with massing forces around Sievierodonetsk, Russia has used brutally destructive tactics to gain territory. Relentless and indiscriminate artillery fire has flattened areas of the city, clearing the way for ground troops to be sent in later.
The end of the fight for Mariupol in late May freed up thousands of Russian troops to be redeployed. Many were sent to the frontline around Popasna, where Russia made one of its fastest advances in the Donbas. Ukrainian defenses crumbled north of the city and allowed Russian forces to push toward the main highway to Lysychansk, threatening one of two routes for civilian evacuations out of the city.
Victory in Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk would see Russia claim full control of the Luhansk region, one of the two areas that make up the Donbas. It currently only controls about 60 percent of the Donetsk region, the other area in the Donbas, and military analysts expect progress there to be slow.
But after weeks of little movement, Russia has made incremental progress from Izium to Sloviansk. Fighting is currently underway for the control of Dolyna, a small settlement located just off the main highway, and Russia continues to amass forces in Lyman ahead of an expected push into Sloviansk from the east.
Sloviansk remains a key target for Russia. Capturing it could allow Russia to encircle Ukrainian troops in the east.
Josh Holder and Denise Lu
May 29, 2022
Russia is closer to capturing key eastern city
LUHANSK
Izium
Administrative
border
Lyman
Sievierodonetsk
Lysychansk
Sloviansk
Taking Sievierodonetsk
and Lysychansk would
give Russia full control of
Luhansk province.
Kramatorsk
Popasna
UKRAINE
DONBAS
DONETSK
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Detail
area
Horlivka
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion
20 miles
Administrative
border
LUHANSK
Izium
Lyman
Sievierodonetsk
Taking Sievierodonetsk
and Lysychansk would
give Russia full control of
Luhansk province.
Lysychansk
Sloviansk
Kramatorsk
Popasna
DONBAS
UKRAINE
DONETSK
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Horlivka
Detail
area
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion
20 miles
UKRAINE
LUHANSK
Izium
Lyman
Sievierodonetsk
Lysychansk
Sloviansk
Taking Sievierodonetsk
and Lysychansk would
give Russia full control of
Luhansk province.
Popasna
DONBAS
Kyiv
Horlivka
Administrative
border
UKR.
Detail
area
DONETSK
20 miles
Russia made its most significant advance this week since shifting strategies to focus on eastern Ukraine. It edged closer to capturing the entirety of the Luhansk region.
The advances have focused on surrounding and capturing Sievierodonetsk, one of the most important cities still held by Ukraine in the east. Both sides have been locked in increasingly heavy street fighting in recent days, and Ukraine’s hold on the city appears fragile.
Russia’s renewed momentum in the area shows dividends from focusing on a narrower area within eastern Ukraine instead of spreading its attack across the entire eastern front.
Updated May 13, 2022
Finland and Sweden consider joining NATO
Finland’s leaders announced on May 12 that their country should “apply for NATO membership without delay.” And Swedish leaders suggested on May 13 that Sweden would benefit from joining NATO. It is a remarkable shift by two nations on Russia’s doorstep that had long remained nonaligned militarily — but where public opinion has lurched strongly toward joining the alliance in the 11 weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Iceland
Finland
Norway
Russia
Estonia
Sweden
Latvia
Lithuania
Belarus
U.K.
Poland
Germany
Ukraine
France
Romania
Italy
Spain
Turkey
Greece
Iceland
Finland
Norway
Russia
Sweden
Belarus
U.K.
Poland
Germany
Ukraine
France
Romania
Italy
Spain
Turkey
Greece
April 20, 2022
The fight for the East
Russia has amassed troops in an attempt to seize eastern Ukraine, now its main objective in the war. The Russian military seems intent on encircling Ukrainian troops in the Donbas region by advancing from several directions, including south from Izium and north from Donetsk.
RUSSIA
Kharkiv
Administrative
border
Russian forces took
the town of Kreminna.
UKRAINE
LUHANSK
Izium
Sievierodonetsk
Russian forces
amassed near Izium
hope to move south.
Kramatorsk
Popasna
DONBAS
Dnipro
Russian units in the
south may push north.
Donetsk
Active
fighting
Zaporizhzhia
DONETSK
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion
Kyiv
Detail
area
UKRAINE
Mariupol
SEA OF AZOV
Melitopol
30 miles
RUSSIA
Kharkiv
Administrative
border
LUHANSK
UKRAINE
Russian forces took
the town of Kreminna.
Izium
Sievierodonetsk
Russian forces
amassed near Izium
hope to move south.
Kramatorsk
Popasna
DONBAS
Approximate line
separating Ukrainian
and Russian-backed
forces before the
invasion
Russian units in the
south may push north.
Active
fighting
Donetsk
DONETSK
Zaporizhzhia
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Detail
area
SEA OF AZOV
Melitopol
30 miles
RUSSIA
Kharkiv
Russian forces
took the town of
Kreminna.
Russian forces
amassed near Izium
hope to move south.
LUHANSK
Izium
UKRAINE
Sievierodonetsk
Administrative
border
Kramatorsk
Popasna
DONBAS
Russian units in the
south may push north.
Active fighting
Donetsk
DONETSK
Zaporizhzhia
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion.
Mariupol
Melitopol
Kyiv
SEA OF AZOV
UKR.
50 miles
Detail
area
While fighting has continued across the east in recent days, Russia’s military has not yet started a large-scale ground offensive in Donbas, according to military analysts, and its gains have been limited so far. Russia has taken initial steps — missile attacks, long-range artillery barrages and small detachments probing Ukrainian defenses — that may be laying the groundwork for a wider push.
So far, neither side has a clear upper hand.
Russian forces amassed near Izium have probed south, in the direction of the critical city of Kramatorsk. But they have been met by significant Ukrainian defenses to the south of Izium and have made little progress. In an apparent attempt to divert Russian forces from Izium, according to military analysts, the Ukrainian military conducted counterattacks east of Kharkiv, recapturing some small towns this week.
At a second front in the northeast, near Sievierodonetsk, Russian forces appeared to make limited progress after bypassing the city. Russia captured the town of Kreminna, according to Ukrainian officials, and have carried out attacks nearby in Rubizhne, which remains in Ukrainian hands.
Russian troops may try to head toward Kramatorsk from the southeast as well, from near Donetsk city, in an effort to cut off Ukrainian troops from two directions. Areas around Donetsk have seen near-constant fighting for the last month, with residents reporting frequent shelling.
In the south, Russian troops have been massing across a fourth front between Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk. That front has been relatively quiet for weeks. However, Russian units in the city of Mariupol are expected to head there if they can capture the city. Although fighting has continued there for two months, Russian forces now control almost the entire city, with a sizable number of holdouts positioned in a major steel plant.
April 13, 2022
Russia tightens its grip on Mariupol
The Russian military moved into the center of the southern city of Mariupol this week, a significant advance in a crucial, bloody battle that has continued for almost seven weeks. The advance split Ukrainian forces in two, with one group near the port and another in the eastern industrial district.
Russian-
controlled areas
MARIUPOL
Ukrainian forces
Azovstal
steel plant
Port
Sea of azov
3 miles
Russian
advances
MARIUPOL
Ukrainian forces
Azovstal
steel plant
Port
Sea of azov
Ukrainian
forces
MARIUPOL
Russian
advances
Ukrainian
forces
Ukrainian
forces
Azovstal
steel plant
Port
Sea of azov
Seizing Mariupol is crucial for Russia. The city occupies a strategic location between Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and areas of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine that are controlled by Russia-backed separatists. If Russia takes control of the city, troops fighting there could be redeployed to Donbas, which is now Russia’s central focus in the war.
Despite being outnumbered, Ukrainian troops continue to hold some key areas of Mariupol. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said on Facebook on Monday that Ukrainian forces were continuing to “hold the city, durably and sustainably.”
But given recent Russian gains, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington research group, believe that Russian forces are likely to capture Mariupol in the coming week.
Mariupol has been under siege by Russian forces for more than 40 days. Civilians who remain in the city lack access to water, food or electricity, and they face almost constant aerial bombardment. Almost no area of the city has been left unscathed, according to an analysis of satellite imagery by Masae Analytics, a company that assesses damage to buildings.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Industrial
buildings
Residential area
MARIUPOL
Residential area
Residential area
Industrial
buildings
Maternity hospital
bombed on
March 9.
Theater
bombed on
March 16.
1 mile
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Industrial
buildings
Mariupol
Residential area
MARIUPOL
Residential area
Residential area
Industrial
buildings
Maternity
hospital
bombed on
March 9.
Theater
bombed on
March 16.
1 mile
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Industrial
buildings
Residential area
MARIUPOL
Residential area
Residential area
Industrial
buildings
Theater
bombed on
March 16.
Maternity hospital
bombed on
March 9.
1 mile
April 6, 2022
How Russia is refocusing for a pivotal struggle in eastern Ukraine
After withdrawing from much of northern Ukraine, Russia is shifting troops to the country’s east to bolster a crucial conflict that may define the next phase of the war.
Some key locations of this fight are already clear. The Russian military, which is trying to encircle the Ukrainian army, recently seized the eastern city of Izium and will try to push southeast to Sloviansk, experts expect.
RUSSIA
Kharkiv
LUHANSK
Russia recently
took Izium.
Russians could
then head to
Rubizhne.
UKRAINE
Sievierodonetsk
Sloviansk is
likely Russia’s
next target.
Luhansk
DONBAS
A farther push to
Horlivka would result
in more Ukrainian
troops being isolated.
Administrative
border
Donetsk
DONETSK
Kyiv
Detail
area
UKRAINE
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion
Mariupol
30 miles
SEA OF AZOV
RUSSIA
Kharkiv
Administrative
border
LUHANSK
Russia recently
took Izium.
Russians could
then head to
Rubizhne.
Sievierodonetsk
Sloviansk is
likely Russia’s
next target.
DONBAS
UKRAINE
A farther push to
Horlivka would result
in more Ukrainian
troops being isolated.
Donetsk
DONETSK
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion
Detail
area
Mariupol
30 miles
SEA OF AZOV
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
LUHANSK
Russia recently
took Izium.
Russians could
then head to
Rubizhne.
Sievierodonetsk
Sloviansk is
likely Russia’s
next target.
DONBAS
Administrative
border
A farther push to
Horlivka would
result in more
Ukrainian troops
being isolated.
Donetsk
DONETSK
Approximate line
separating Ukrainian and
Russian-backed forces
before the invasion
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Detail
area
Mariupol
30 miles
Russia’s ability to seize Sloviansk is seen as a key test of whether it can succeed at capturing the entirety of the Donbas, which Russian-backed separatists have been fighting for eight years. It took weeks of fighting and shelling for Russia to bring Izium under its control, and Sloviansk is a larger target, with about twice as many residents. Russian troops are reportedly already facing Ukrainian counteroffensives along the way.
If Russian forces take Sloviansk, their next targets are likely to be Rubizhne, about 40 miles east near Sievierodonetsk, where fighting is ongoing, or Horlivka, about 50 miles south near Donetsk. Advancing to Horlivka would leave more Ukrainian troops isolated on one of the most active frontlines.
If successful, an advance to Horlivka would achieve two of Russia’s main aims. It would link up Russian troops from the north with separatist forces in the Donbas. And it would push the frontline of the war west, giving them control of the Luhansk region and more of the Donetsk region.
Advancing in the east is a critical goal for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Gaining control of the Donbas would effectively partition off a piece of Eastern Ukraine, and the Russian leader could sell it to his country as a victory. But it remains unclear if Russia has enough forces to encircle Ukrainian troops.
Russia’s renewed attack on the east comes as it completes its withdrawal of troops from the suburbs of Kyiv and other northern Ukrainian cities, leaving behind gruesome scenes of dead civilians.
Updated April 2, 2022
Ukraine reclaims control of dozens of towns after Russian troops withdraw from around Kyiv
Russian forces have retreated from around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and the northern city of Chernihiv, a major defeat for the Russian military and a turning point in the war. Ukraine’s army said it was back in control of dozens of towns to the west and east of Kyiv, including some of the conflict’s most intense battlefields.
BELARUS
Detail area
Chernihiv
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Towns where Ukrainian forces
recently reclaimed control
Chernobyl
UKRAINE
Kyiv
Reservoir
Nizhyn
Ivankiv
Nosivka
Kozelets
Bobrovytsia
Borodianka
Makiivka
Hostomel
Bucha
Nova Basan
Irpin
Brovary
Makariv
Kyiv
Boryspil
Dnipro R.
Vasylkiv
Detail area
BELARUS
Kyiv
Chernihiv
UKRAINE
Towns where
Ukrainian forces recently
reclaimed control
UKRAINE
Kyiv
Reservoir
Nizhyn
Ivankiv
Kozelets
Borodianka
Bucha
Nova Basan
Brovary
Irpin
Kyiv
Makariv
Boryspil
Dnipro R.
Vasylkiv
Detail area
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
UKRAINE
Towns where
Ukrainian forces
recently reclaimed
control
Kyiv
The withdrawal — substantiated by witnesses, Ukrainian officials, satellite images and military analysts — marks the collapse, at least for now, of Russia’s haphazard campaign to seize the capital and replace Ukraine’s government. The fight is expected to continue to shift to the the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
In the suburban towns north of the Kyiv, the Ukrainian army was advancing through a tableau of destruction, with dozens of wrecked tanks on streets, extensive damage to buildings and the bodies of civilians still lying uncollected. Kyiv and its surroundings, which had echoed with artillery booms and gunfire for weeks, had gone quiet.
Ukraine’s military on Saturday moved into Bucha, a key town on the west bank of the Dnipro River — which divides Kyiv — days after Russian forces had sacked it on their way out. Satellite imagery of a key airport in Hostomel by Maxar Technologies, a U.S.-based imaging company, appeared to show that Russian equipment had been removed sometime in the last 10 days.
Russian attacks continued elsewhere in the country, and military analysts said that Russia’s withdrawal from areas near Kyiv did not mean it was de-escalating its war effort.
Russian troops have seized Izium, a key city southeast of Kharkiv that has been under Russian attack for several weeks, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington research group. The city could serve as a launching pad for Russian troops from north of Kharkiv to try to link up with forces in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and isolate Ukrainian forces fighting in the northeast.
Josh Holder, Lazaro Gamio, Denise Lu, Allison McCann, Andrew E. Kramer and Christoph Koettl
March 29, 2022
Where Ukrainian forces have mounted counterattacks in the northeast
In the war’s fifth week, Ukraine reported making some gains in the northeast, waging counterattacks that pushed back Russian forces and enabled the Ukrainians to recapture several towns near the front lines.
Ukraine’s counterattacks have come as major Russian offensives have mostly stalled, with Russian troops largely regrouping and trying to consolidate territory taken in the opening weeks of the invasion.
Detail
area
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Konotop
Chernihiv
Nizhyn
RUSSIA
Sumy
Irpin
Brovary
Lukianivka
Romny
Boromlia
Pryluky
Makariv
Rudnytske
Kyiv
Trostianets
UKRAINE
Vilkhivka
Myrhorod
Kharkiv
Bila Tserkva
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
Husarivka
Krasnohrad
Kremenchuk
100 miles
Izium
Detail
area
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Konotop
Chernihiv
Nizhyn
RUSSIA
Sumy
Irpin
Brovary
Romny
Lukianivka
Boromlia
Makariv
Rudnytske
Kyiv
Trostianets
Vilkhivka
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Bila Tserkva
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Chuhuiv
Dnieper River
Husarivka
Krasnohrad
Kremenchuk
Izium
100 miles
Detail
area
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKR.
Konotop
Chernihiv
Brovary
RUSSIA
Irpin
Sumy
Lukianivka
Boromlia
Makariv
Kyiv
Trostianets
Rudnytske
Bila Tserkva
Kharkiv
Vilkhivka
UKRAINE
Dnieper River
Izium
Husarivka
Severodonetsk
Dnipro
100 miles
The mayor of Irpin, a fiercely contested suburb northwest of Kyiv, said Monday that the Ukrainian army had liberated the town from Russian forces, but that the area remains too unsafe for residents to return home. Maintaining control of Irpin is strategically important for Ukraine’s army to keep its hold on Kyiv.
Reports from the ground suggested Ukraine’s hold on Irpin was tenuous. Ukrainian soldiers who had been in the town on Monday said pockets of Russian troops were still hiding there, and officials said that Russian artillery continued to target the town.
Officials also said the towns of Lukianivka and Rudnytske, both east of Kyiv, had been recaptured after several days of counterattacks.
In a statement posted on Sunday on Telegram, Dmytro Zhyvytsky, the head of the Sumy regional military administration, announced the recapture of Trostianets and Boromlia. The two towns are just south of Sumy, a city currently surrounded by Russian forces.
South of Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces reported having recaptured Husarivka. That town is 10 miles northwest of Izium, where intense fighting has been going on for several weeks.
March 25, 2022
NATO sharply increases its forces in Eastern Europe
NATO announced it was doubling, to eight, the number of countries in Eastern Europe where it has battlegroups. The decision to bolster its presence in the region signals growing concerns for how Russia may respond to the increasing diplomatic and economic penalties it is facing over its monthlong invasion of Ukraine.
Estonia
9,000 troops
Latvia
9,100
RUSSIA
BALTIC SEA
Lithuania
20,800
Poland
130,500
BELARUS
Slovakia
15,100
UKRAINE
Hungary
24,800
moldova
Romania
79,300
Countries with
new NATO
battlegroups
Bulgaria
26,900
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Estonia
9,000 troops
Latvia
9,100
RUSSIA
BALTIC SEA
Lithuania
20,800
Poland
130,500
BELARUS
Slovakia
15,100
UKRAINE
Hungary
24,800
moldova
Romania
79,300
Countries
with new NATO
battlegroups
Bulgaria
26,900
BLACK SEA
100 miles
The new NATO battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia join similar forces in Baltic countries and Poland — which are also growing in size.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that the war does not escalate beyond Ukraine, and become a conflict between NATO and Russia,” said Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general.
A little more than a quarter of all troops under direct NATO command are now in Poland, which shares a large border with the western part of Ukraine. An additional 120,000 troops from Poland’s military are at the ready — the most of any host country in the alliance.
Mr. Stoltenberg, speaking to reporters a day before a major summit of European allies in Brussels, said: “We face a new reality for our security. So we must reset our deterrence and defense for the longer-term.”
March 23, 2022
Where Russian forces have made advances in eastern Ukraine
Russian advances have stalled on multiple fronts, including areas north of Kyiv and in the south around Mykolaiv, but Russian forces have continued to make slow but consistent territorial gains in eastern Ukraine, where they aim to isolate large parts of the Ukrainian army.
Over the past week, fighting has been fierce in many towns and villages along the front lines, and Russian forces have made advances from territory in the Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists took over in 2014. Russia has advanced west in Donetsk toward the region’s border and northwest toward Izium.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Detail area
Izium has been under fierce
attack from Russia, but
recent advances to the west
of the city were halted.
LUHANSK
Severodonetsk has been
under frequent attack as
Russian forces move
northeast to link up with
forces south of Kharkiv.
UKRAINE
Rubizhne
Lysychansk
Administrative
border
Popasna
Luhansk
DONETSK
Horlivka
Intense fighting has
continued along the previous
front line of Ukrainian
and Russian-backed forces.
Russian forces have steadily
advanced westward in Donetsk
toward the administrative border.
Donetsk
Novomykhailivka
Novotroitske
Vuhledar
Olhynka
Volnovakha
RUSSIA
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion
Mariupol
30 miles
SEA OF Azov
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Detail area
Kharkiv
Izium has been under fierce
attack from Russia, but
recent advances to the west
of the city were halted.
Severodonetsk has been
under frequent attack as
Russian forces move
northeast to link up with
forces south of Kharkiv.
UKRAINE
Rubizhne
LUHANSK
Lysychansk
Administrative
border
Popasna
Luhansk
DONETSK
Horlivka
Russian forces have steadily
advanced westward in Donetsk
toward the administrative border.
Intense fighting has
continued along the previous
front line of Ukrainian and
Russian-backed forces.
Donetsk
Novomykhailivka
Novotroitske
Olhynka
Vuhledar
RUSSIA
Volnovakha
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion
Mariupol
30 miles
SEA OF Azov
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Detail
area
Kharkiv
Izium has been under fierce
attack from Russia, but
recent advances to the west
of the city were halted.
Severodonetsk has been
under frequent attack as
Russian forces move
northeast to link up with
forces south of Kharkiv.
Administrative
border
LUHANSK
UKRAINE
Luhansk
DONETSK
Russian forces have
steadily advanced west
in Donetsk toward the
administrative border.
Intense fighting has
continued along the
previous front line
of Ukrainian and
Russian-backed forces.
Donetsk
Volnovakha
RUSSIA
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion
Mariupol
30 miles
SEA OF Azov
Russian forces are likely to have two strategic targets in the Donbas. The Russian military aims to advance the front line toward the administrative border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and to also link up forces in the Donbas with troops from Crimea and south of Kharkiv, according to military analysts. Connecting these forces could isolate Ukrainian troops fighting on the front line near Donbas or force them to retreat, which would be a major strategic victory for the Russians.
Mariupol, an important port city that has been holding out against a Russian siege for more than three weeks now, remains in Ukrainian control, frustrating Russian forces in their goal to control a corridor from Donetsk to Crimea. Russian troops have advanced on Mariupol from both the east and west in recent days, while continuing to shell residential buildings in the city and reinforce artillery positions north of the city.
Some of the most intense fighting has been for the city of Severodonetsk in Luhansk. The Ukrainian armed forces report nearly daily attacks on the city, but it currently remains in Ukrainian hands. The city is on a crucial advance northwest toward Izium, which Russian troops have also repeatedly attacked from the north.
Updated March 21, 2022
Russia, stalled elsewhere, advances in the east
Ukrainian forces continue to hold off Russian advances near Kyiv, Kharkiv and in large parts of the South. But in the east, Russian forces have made steady progress in recent days, moving west from the separatist-held territory of Donbas.
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Ovruch
Konotop
Chernihiv
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Irpin
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Lubny
Myrhorod
Kharkiv
Bila Tserkva
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Chuhuiv
Vinnytsia
Poltava
Dnieper River
Krasnohrad
Kremenchuk
Izium
Severodonetsk
UKRAINE
Uman
Dnipro
Pavlograd
Kropyvnytskyi
Luhansk
Horlivka
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Nikopol
Voznesensk
Polohy
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Ovruch
Konotop
Chernihiv
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Irpin
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Kharkiv
Kaniv
Hydroelectric
plant
Poltava
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Dnipro
Horlivka
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Polohy
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Detail area
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Konotop
Ovruch
RUSSIA
Sumy
Brovary
Kyiv
Okhtyrka
Kharkiv
Poltava
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Dnipro
DONBAS
Polohy
Melitopol
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
100 miles
BLACK SEA
Russian forces in many parts of the country have been hindered by supply issues, with units pausing operations while they regroup.
An assessment published on Sunday by the Institute for the Study of War said that Russian forces will likely expand their bombing campaign on Kyiv instead of trying to encircle the city in the coming weeks.
The group also reported that Russian forces are strengthening their defensive positions in captured areas and moving artillery into positions that can strike central Kyiv.
Even as Ukrainians hold the line outside major cities, the position of the Ukrainian army in the east looks increasingly precarious, according to an analysis this week by researchers at RUSI, a military analysis group. Those forces could risk becoming encircled by Russian troops advancing along several paths east of the Dnieper River.
Those advances have left a vast trail of destruction, according to witnesses, imagery and statements from local officials.
Russian forces have moved into several villages west of the city of Donetsk in the last couple of days. Farther north, they have pummeled the city of Izium, which has no heat, food, water or other basic services, although the Russian and Ukrainian sides dispute who controls the city.
Lazaro Gamio, Josh Holder, Denise Lu, Marco Hernandez, Marc Santora, Agnes Chang, Pablo Robles and Scott Reinhard
March 20, 2022
An initial analysis of damage in Mariupol shows widespread attacks across residential areas
Analysis of satellite images for a section of Mariupol found evidence of widespread damage across residential neighborhoods. At least 391 buildings in the study area were observed to have been damaged or destroyed in a part of the city that is dotted with schools and health facilities.
Mariupol
UKRAINE
Area of
analysis
Mariupol
Kal’mius River
Livoberezhnyi
district
Area of
analysis
MARIUPOL
Vynohradne
TAHANROZ
GULF
1 mile
Mariupol
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Area of
analysis
MARIUPOL
Livoberezhnyi
district
Area of
analysis
Vynohradne
TAHANROZ
GULF
1 mile
Mariupol
UKRAINE
Area of
analysis
Mariupol
Livoberezhnyi
district
Area of
analysis
MARIUPOL
Vynohradne
TAHANROZ
GULF
1 mile
The analysis, by Unitar-Unosat, a United Nations research group, examined structures within a section of the eastern district of Livoberezhnyi. The group compared a satellite image captured on March 14 this year with imagery from June 2021.
Damaged structures included seven schools and four health facilities, according to the report. Livoberezhnyi, meaning “Left Bank,” is one of the city’s four administrative districts and is home to about 120,000 residents.
Russian forces have laid siege to Mariupol for nearly three weeks. Incessant shelling has blocked efforts to evacuate people and send aid, leaving the nearly half a million residents trapped with dwindling supplies of food, water and medicine.
A maternity ward bombed last week and a theater bombed on Wednesday are near the city center. Mariupol’s city council said on Sunday that Russia had bombed a drama school where about 400 people had been hiding.
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Sartana
Kalmiuskyi district
Staryi Krym
Kalynivka
MARIUPOL
Portcity
Mall
Destroyed.
TerraSport
Thousands
sheltering.
Government building
Captured by Russia
on March 18.
Livoberezhnyi
district
Regional intensive
care hospital
Hundreds held hostage.
Maternity hospital
Bombed on March 9.
School
Bombed.
Hundreds used
as shelter.
Theater
Bombed on
March 16.
Azovstal
steel plant
Control disputed.
Prymorskyi
district
TAHANROZ GULF
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Kalmiuskyi district
Staryi Krym
Government
building
Captured
by Russia
on March 18.
Regional
intensive
care hospital
Hundreds held
hostage.
MARIUPOL
Livoberezhnyi
district
School
Bombed.
Hundreds used
as shelter.
Theater
Bombed on
March 16.
TerraSport
Thousands
sheltering.
Azovstal
steel plant
Control disputed.
Maternity hospital
Bombed on March 9.
UKRAINE
Talakivka
Mariupol
Sartana
Kalmiuskyi district
Staryi Krym
MARIUPOL
Kalynivka
Portcity Mall
Destroyed. Had more
than 200 shops.
TerraSport
Thousands
sheltering.
Government building
Captured by Russia
on March 18.
Livoberezhnyi
district
Berdiansk
Regional intensive
care hospital
Hundreds held hostage.
Maternity hospital
Bombed on March 9.
School
Bombed.
Hundreds used
as shelter.
Theater
Bombed on
March 16.
Azovstal
steel plant
Control disputed.
Prymorskyi
district
TAHANROZ
GULF
Most communication has been cut off from the city, making it difficult to assess the full extent of the damage and the status of residents still there.
Weiyi Cai, Agnes Chang, Marco Hernandez, Josh Holder, Eleanor Lutz, Anjali Singhvi and Pablo Robles.
March 15, 2022
Where Ukrainians are fighting Russian forces
While their advances have slowed in recent days, Russian forces continue to clash with Ukrainian defenses on multiple fronts. This map shows the active areas of fighting, according to a statement posted on Tuesday by Ukrainian military officials.
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
Chernihiv
UKRAINE
Ovruch
Konotop
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Irpin
Bucha
Romny
Brovary
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Russian forces attempting
to advance on Kyiv from the
northeast have faced fighting
and disruptions.
Kharkiv
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
There was fierce
fighting in Izium as
Russian troops
advanced from the
area around Kharkiv.
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Dnipro
Luhansk
Horlivka
Kryvyi Rih is quite likely
to be one of Russia’s next
targets. Troops have
advanced from Kherson.
Kryvyi Rih
DONBAS
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Polohy
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Melitopol
Berdiansk
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
Chernihiv
UKRAINE
Ovruch
Konotop
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Irpin
Sumy
Bucha
Brovary
Romny
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Russian forces attempting
to advance on Kyiv from the
northeast have faced fighting
and disruptions.
Kharkiv
There was fierce
fighting in Izium
as Russian troops
advanced from the
area around Kharkiv.
Dnieper River
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Luhansk
Horlivka
Kryvyi Rih is quite likely
to be one of Russia’s next
targets. Troops have
advanced from Kherson.
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Polohy
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Detail area
Russian forces attempting
to advance on Kyiv from the
northeast have faced fighting
and disruptions.
Kyiv
UKR.
RUSSIA
BELARUS
There was fierce
fighting in Izium as
Russian troops
advanced from the
area around Kharkiv.
Chernihiv
Konotop
Ovruch
Irpin
Sumy
Bucha
Brovary
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Poltava
Kryvyi Rih is
quite likely to be
one of Russia’s
next targets.Troops
have advanced
from Kherson.
Dnieper R.
Izium
Dnipro
Kryvyi Rih
DONBAS
Polohy
Melitopol
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
In recent days, fighting near Kyiv has been mostly restricted to suburbs, just northwest and west of the city, including Bucha and Irpin, about 10 miles from the city center.
In the south, Russian forces resumed attacks in their advances toward Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Rih. Recent Russian pushes have been toward Zaporizhzhia, with forces most likely aiming to block the city on both banks of the Dnieper River.
In the east, Russian forces and Russian-backed separatists have pushed the frontline forward, claiming more areas of Ukraine. Intense fighting has continued for days for Izium, a small city southeast of Kharkiv. Ukrainians still hold Izium, and recent Russian advances have moved around it, heading west toward the city of Dnipro, a key Russian target.
March 15, 2022
A night of violent bombardment in Kyiv
Russian missile strikes hammered multiple neighborhoods in Ukraine’s capital on Tuesday, hitting at least three residential buildings, the entrance of a subway station and a surrounding market.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Residential
building
Residential building
Kyiv
At least two people dead
Subway entrance
and market
Residential
building
Presidential
palace
3 miles
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Residential
building
Residential building
Kyiv
At least two people dead
Subway entrance
and market
Residential
building
Presidential
palace
3 miles
It was the most significant attack on Kyiv in recent days. As Russia has failed to capture major cities, it has intensified its targeting of civilian areas from the air, striking residential buildings, schools and hospitals across the country.
At least four people were killed in the Kyiv attacks on Tuesday, and dozens more had to be rescued, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Vitali Klitschko, the mayor, announced a 35-hour curfew starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, warning that the city was enduring “a difficult and dangerous moment.”
Despite multiple attacks, the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia traveled to Kyiv on Tuesday to express the European Union’s “unequivocal support” for Ukraine and offer financial support.
Pablo Robles and Josh Holder
March 13, 2022
Russian strikes kill dozens in western Ukraine
Russian warplanes struck a Ukrainian military base near the Polish border on Sunday, killing at least 35 people and bringing the war dangerously close to NATO’s doorstep. Western Ukraine had been largely spared from the early fighting, but Russian airstrikes on military targets in the region have ramped up in the last few days.
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKR.
Detail
area
Kovel
Korosten
March 11
Airstrikes killed four soldiers
at a military airfield in Lutsk.
POLAND
Lviv
Zhytomyr
March 13
Airstrikes killed at least
35 people at a military
base in Yavoriv.
UKRAINE
Ternopil
SLOV.
Khmelnytskyi
March 11 and 13
Airstrikes struck the airport
in Ivano-Frankivsk.
Vinnytsia
Mukachevo
HUN.
Chernivtsi
MOLDOVA
ROMANIA
50 miles
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKR.
Detail
area
March 11
Airstrikes killed four
soldiers at a military
airfield in Lutsk.
POLAND
UKRAINE
Lviv
March 13
Airstrikes killed at least
35 people at a military
base in Yavoriv.
Ternopil
March 11 and 13
Airstrikes struck
the airport in
Ivano-Frankivsk.
Mukachevo
Chernivtsi
ROMANIA
50 miles
The maps below show how Russian aerial attacks have shifted since the widespread airstrikes on the first day of the invasion. Each three-day map shows locations of shelling, airstrikes and other projectiles, according to a New York Times tally of air-related attacks.
Timeline of aerial attacks by region
Feb. 24 to 26
Feb. 27 to March 1
March 2 to 4
Chernihiv
Lutsk
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Kharkiv
Zaporizhzhia
Mykolaiv
Odessa
Kherson
Mariupol
March 5 to 7
March 8 to 10
March 11 to 13
Yavoriv
Ivano-Frankivsk
Dnipro
Feb. 24 to 26
Feb. 27 to March 1
Chernihiv
Lutsk
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Kharkiv
Kherson
Odessa
March 2 to 4
March 5 to 7
Zaporizhzhia
Mykolaiv
March 8 to 10
March 11 to 13
Yavoriv
Ivano-Frankivsk
Dnipro
Feb. 24 to 26
Feb. 27 to March 1
Chernihiv
Lutsk
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Kharkiv
Odessa
March 2 to 4
March 5 to 7
Zaporizhzhia
Mykolaiv
March 8 to 10
March 11 to 13
Yavoriv
Ivano-Frankivsk
Dnipro
The attack on the base in Yavoriv, just 12 miles from the Polish border, also injured more than 100 people. Around 1,000 foreign fighters were believed to be training at the base, known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center.
Sunday’s attack was the closest Russian offensive yet to the border with Poland, a NATO and European Union member where U.S. troops were deployed to bolster NATO’s defense. Russia carried out the attack a day after warning that weapons flowing into Ukraine from Western allies were “legitimate targets.”
Agnes Chang, Lauren Leatherby, Scott Reinhard and Charlie Smart
March 12, 2022
From small towns to large cities, the extent of Russia’s aerial bombardment of Ukraine
Facing significant Ukrainian resistance on the ground, Russia is increasingly relying on aerial bombardment. Since the invasion started, at least 67 Ukrainian towns and cities have been hit — some attacked on multiple days — with shelling, airstrikes and other projectiles, according to a New York Times tally of air-related attacks.
Number of days each city was hit with air-related attacks
Symbols are sized by the minimum number of days with reports of such attacks.
Detail area
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Irpin
At least 5 days
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
At least 4 days
Ovruch
Konotop
Nizhyn
Kharkiv
At least 9 days
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Pryluky
Zhytomyr
Kyiv
At least 5 days
Okhtyrka
At least 4 days
Severodonetsk
At least 4 days
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
Izium
At least 4 days
UKRAINE
Dnipro
Luhansk
Horlivka
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Oleksandrivka
Polohy
ROMANIA
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
At least 6 days
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Detail area
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Irpin
At least 5 days
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
At least 4 days
Sumy
Kharkiv
At least 9 days
Okhtyrka
At least 4 days
Zhytomyr
Kyiv
At least 5 days
Severodonetsk
At least 4 days
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Izium
At least 4 days
UKRAINE
Dnipro
Luhansk
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Polohy
Mariupol
At least 6 days
ROMANIA
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Detail area
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Irpin
At least 5 days
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
At least 4 days
Kharkiv
At least 9 days
Sumy
Okhtyrka
At least 4 days
Kyiv
At least 5 days
Zhytomyr
Severodonetsk
At least 4 days
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Izium
At least 4 days
UKRAINE
Dnipro
Luhansk
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Polohy
Mariupol
At least 6 days
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Because of the difficulties in getting comprehensive reporting of events in wartime, the tallies shown here are likely an undercount of the full scale of Russia’s aerial attacks.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been under bombardment for at least nine days. Kyiv, the capital, as well as Irpin, a nearby city, and Mariupol, the besieged southern port city, have also been subjected to multiple days of relentless shelling. At least eight cities have had more than four days of shelling.
Russian forces recently stepped up aerial attacks in locations far from the frontlines. Many small towns and villages between the eastern Donbas region and Kharkiv have had at least one day of aerial attacks, as Russian forces move toward each other in an effort to close off northeastern Ukraine.
March 11, 2022
Where Russians have continued their advances
Although Russia has not captured major cities in recent days, its invasion is far from stalled. Russian forces continue to make gains, pushing into smaller cities and encircling larger ones. Troops have been nearing Kyiv, the capital, and also closing in on key cities in the South and the Northeast.
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
Chernihiv
UKRAINE
Ovruch
Konotop
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Irpin
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Detail below
Kharkiv
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Detail below
Dnipro
Luhansk
Horlivka
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Voznesensk
Polohy
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Detail below
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
Chernihiv
UKRAINE
Ovruch
Konotop
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Irpin
Detail below
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Detail below
Kharkiv
Kaniv
Hydroelectric
plant
Poltava
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Luhansk
Dnipro
Horlivka
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Polohy
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
Detail below
100 miles
Detail area
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Detail
below
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Konotop
Ovruch
Sumy
Detail below
Brovary
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Kharkiv
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Poltava
Severodonetsk
UKRAINE
Dnipro
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Polohy
Melitopol
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
Detail below
100 MILES
BLACK SEA
The advances have often been arduous, halting and costly. In some areas, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly pushed the Russians back and have regularly disrupted supply lines. The Ukrainians have managed to hold frontlines outside major cities, even as the much larger Russian force has bombarded civilian areas with devastating airstrikes.
But even Russia’s slow advances encircling major cities has put enormous pressure on Ukrainian civilians, some of whom lack electricity and running water. And Ukraine’s military remains on the defensive as Russia consolidates its positions outside major cities and threatens to isolate large numbers of Ukrainian troops or force them to retreat.
“We are surrounded,” said Vladyslav Atroshenko, the mayor of Chernihiv, in a message posted online Wednesday. Russians had bypassed Chernihiv in the early days of the invasion.
Outside Kyiv, Russian forces gained control of the town of Bucha several days ago and moved southwest in an attempt to encircle the capital. They were also approaching Kyiv from the east, with heavy fighting involving a line of Russian tanks reported in the suburb of Brovary, according to videos posted online on Thursday.
BELARUS
Chernihiv
Kovpyta
Chernobyl
Krasylivka
UKRAINE
Oster
Nosivka
Ivankiv
Kyiv
Reservoir
Kozelets
Kukhari
Malyn
Demydiv
Borodianka
Bucha
Andriivka
Radomyshl
Brovary
Kyiv
Motyzhyn
Berezan
Byshiv
Dnieper R.
Fastiv
20 miles
BELARUS
Chernihiv
Kovpyta
Chernobyl
UKRAINE
Oster
Ivankiv
Kyiv
Reservoir
Kozelets
Kukhari
Demydiv
Borodianka
Andriivka
Bucha
Brovary
Kyiv
Motyzhyn
Berezan
Dnieper R.
Byshiv
20 miles
Fastiv
Russian forces continue to have the upper hand in the south. Their offensive on Mykolaiv continued as they worked to encircle the city from the east, with troops conducting offensives radiating out.
Some troops have pushed up as far as Oleksandrivka, not far from the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, the country’s second largest. Others have made their way to the north and northeast of Mykolaiv toward Kryvyi Rih, though no sustained offensive has been reported.
Dnipro
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Kryvyi Rih
Novyi Buh
Volnovakha
Nikopol
Orikhiv
Novovorontsovka
Polohy
Voznesensk
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Tokmak
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Melitopol
Berdiansk
Hydro
plant
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
Sevastopol
100 miles
Kramatorsk
Dnipro
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
Kryvyi Rih
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Volnovakha
Novyi Buh
Nikopol
Orikhiv
Mariupol
Polohy
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Odessa
Hydro
plant
Berdiansk
Kherson
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK
SEA
Sevastopol
100 miles
Mariupol, a southern port city, remains besieged and under constant bombardment. Russia-backed separatist forces from the Donbas have also claimed that they control the highway from Volnovakha to Mariupol, closing yet another route out of the city.
The Russians appear to be amassing forces north of Crimea for an offensive on Zaporizhzhia.
RUSSIA
Bohodukhiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Chuhuiv
Kupiansk
Andriivka
Balakliya
Svatove
Pervomaiskyi
Izium
20 miles
Severodonetsk
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Chuhuiv
Kupiansk
Andriivka
Svatove
Balakliya
Pervomaiskyi
Izium
50 miles
Severodonetsk
In the east, in addition to trying to encircle the city of Kharkiv, Russian forces are making their way south, most likely in an effort to join forces with Russian-controlled areas in the Donbas who are moving west. Doing so would cut off the northeast region of Ukraine.
Russian troops have attacked Izium and the surrounding towns. Civilians were evacuated from Izium, which was one of the humanitarian corridors established during the fighting.
Several other towns between Kharkiv and Izium were also the site of Russian shelling. In Slobozhanske, Ukrainian officials reported that a civilian residence had been hit, killing four people.
Denise Lu, Lazaro Gamio, Marco Hernandez, Josh Holder and Scott Reinhard
March 10, 2022
Images show Russian strikes on civilian buildings in Mariupol
Russian forces struck a number of civilian buildings in the southeastern city of Mariupol. These satellite images show widespread damage on the city’s west side — in residential areas, shopping centers and surrounding agricultural fields.
Residential areas
2020
Wednesday
Planet Labs
Portcity shopping mall
2020
Wednesday
Planet Labs
Epicentr K shopping mall
2020
Wednesday
Planet Labs
Shelling marks can be seen in the fields near M14, a major highway connecting Mariupol to Odessa in Ukraine’s southwestern corner, according to Allison Puccioni, a satellite image analyst and chief executive of Armillary Services.
Shelling craters
To Mariupol
Damaged structures
Vehicle tracks
Highway M14
To Odessa
Shelling craters
To Mariupol Airport
Shelling craters
To Mariupol
Highway M14
Damaged structures
Vehicle tracks
To Odessa
Shelling craters
To Mariupol Airport
Shelling craters
To Mariupol
Damaged structures
Vehicle tracks
Highway M14
To Odessa
To Mariupol Airport
Shelling craters
Russian forces have encircled Mariupol, an important port, for a week now, laying siege to the roughly half a million people living there. Russian shelling has blocked efforts to create safe roadways for civilians, leaving them trapped without water, food, heat or medicine. Hundreds of casualties have been reported, including at least three people killed after a Russian missile struck a maternity ward, according to the local government. Trenches have been dug for mass graves, and local authorities have instructed residents on how to dispose of the bodies of dead family members.
Satellite data detected several fires in the west of the city since Sunday. Analysis of satellite imagery found that many residences were significantly damaged, along with commercial and other civilian structures. Three instances of residential damage are shown below.
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Staryi Krym
Kalmiuskyi
UKRAINE
Area of available
satellite coverage
Damaged
structure
Mariupol
1
Berdyans
2020
2022
2
3
1
Prymors
2020
2022
2020
2022
3
2
1 mile
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Staryi Krym
UKRAINE
Area of available
satellite coverage
Damaged
structure
1
Mariupol
Berdyans
2
3
Prymors
2020
2022
1
2020
2022
2
2020
2022
3
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Area of available
satellite coverage
Staryi Krym
Damaged
structure
Mariupol
1
Berdyans
2
3
Prymors
2020
2022
1
2020
2022
2
2020
2022
3
Agnes Chang, Marco Hernandez, Josh Holder, Scott Reinhard, Pablo Robles and Tim Wallace
March 9, 2022
Six ‘humanitarian corridors’ are established, but evacuations remain difficult
On Wednesday, a tentative agreement between Russian and Ukrainian forces allowed for civilians to evacuate from Ukrainian cities with heavy fighting. Six “humanitarian corridors” were established, though not all of them were confirmed to be open and working to safely evacuate people. Ukrainian officials said Russia continued to violate the cease-fire for the corridor out of Mariupol.
Across the corridors, about 40,000 women and children had been evacuated in a day, David Arakhamia, the leader of the governing Servant of the People Party in Ukraine, said on Facebook on Wednesday.
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
Chernihiv
UKRAINE
Sumy
RUSSIA
Cities northwest
of Kyiv
Romny
Kyiv
Lokhvytsia
Lubny
Kharkiv
Poltava
Izium
UKRAINE
Kremenchuk
Lozova
Dnipro
Pokrovsk
Kryvyi Rih
DONBAS
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Volnovakha
Enerhodar
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Melitopol
Odessa
Kherson
Russia continues to violate the cease-fire in Mariupol.
SEA
OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Cities northwest
of Kyiv
Sumy
RUSSIA
Romny
Kyiv
Lokhvytsia
Lubny
Kharkiv
Poltava
Izium
UKRAINE
Kremenchuk
Lozova
Dnipro
Pokrovsk
Kryvyi Rih
DONBAS
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Volnovakha
Enerhodar
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Melitopol
Odessa
Kherson
Russia continues to violate the cease-fire in Mariupol.
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Detail area
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Cities
northwest
of Kyiv
Sumy
Romny
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Lokhvytsia
Lubny
Kharkiv
Poltava
Izium
UKRAINE
Lozova
Pokrovsk
DONBAS
Zaporizhzhia
Volnovakha
Enerhodar
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Odessa
Kherson
SEA OF AZOV
Russia continues to violate the cease-fire in Mariupol.
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
More than 600 women and children were taken by bus and car from Enerhodar to Zaporizhzhia in the south, according to local officials, and at least 3,000 people were evacuated from the northwest cities of Irpin and Vorzel and taken to Kyiv.
A Ukrainian deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said on Facebook that they have been unable to establish a safe corridor out of Mariupol, the site of some of the heaviest bombardment. Russian forces have cut all communications there, making it increasingly difficult to get information about the state of the city, where hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped with limited access to food and water.
On Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 18,000 people had managed to escape from the areas of the heaviest fighting outside of Kyiv. And he said the passage from Sumy to Poltava, in central Ukraine, allowed about 1,600 students and 3,500 residents to be evacuated.
“Today we will do everything to continue the work of humanitarian corridors,” he said on Wednesday.
Allison McCann, Marco Hernandez, Marc Santora, Lazaro Gamio and Scott Reinhard
March 9, 2022
Where the police have arrested antiwar protesters in Russia
More than 13,000 people have been arrested in antiwar protests in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24. While the majority of arrests have taken place in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia’s two largest cities, protesters have been detained in more than 150 cities in a sign of the pent-up anger about the war that is felt across the country.
St. Petersburg
4,141 arrests
Petropavlovsk, 1
Kaliningrad
71
Moscow
6,392 arrests
Yakutsk, 3
UKRAINE
RUSSIA
Novosibirsk
378
Irkutsk
93
Vladivostok
37
St. Petersburg
4,141 arrests
Petropavlovsk, 1
Kaliningrad
71
Moscow
6,392 arrests
Yakutsk, 3
UKRAINE
RUSSIA
Novosibirsk
378
Irkutsk
93
Vladivostok
37
St. Petersburg
4,141 arrests
Kaliningrad
71
Moscow
6,392 arrests
RUSSIA
Novosibirsk
378
Detail above
Yakutsk, 3
RUSSIA
Irkutsk
93
Vladivostok, 37
Antiwar protests have continued even as President Vladimir V. Putin renewed his clampdown on free speech. On Friday, a new law was enacted that threatened anyone spreading “false information” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with up to 15 years in prison. Facebook, Twitter and all major foreign media were also blocked as the Kremlin seeks to control the narrative in Russia, which faces an economic crisis as a result of Western sanctions.
Despite the risks, Sunday saw the highest single-day tally of protester arrests in recent memory. More than 5,300 protesters were detained across 74 cities, according to OVD-Info, an activist group that tracks protests in Russia. People were seen chanting “No to war!” on St. Petersburg’s central avenue, Nevsky Prospekt, and on Moscow’s Manezhnaya Square, just outside the Kremlin walls.
Photos and videos from the ground, which have become more scarce in the days since the new censorship law, show the sharp police response to the protests. Officers were seen pinning protesters to the ground and beating some with batons.
Agnes Chang, Josh Holder, Pablo Robles and Lazaro Gamio
March 8, 2022
How Russia aims to isolate Ukrainian forces in the east
Ukrainian forces have held off Russian forces from taking control of new cities in recent days. But the Russians continue to make smaller advances on multiple fronts, and they appear to be aiming for a critical target in central Ukraine: the city of Dnipro.
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Ovruch
Konotop
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Irpin
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Kharkiv
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Dnipro
Possible future
Russian advance
Luhansk
Horlivka
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Polohy
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Ovruch
Konotop
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Irpin
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Kharkiv
Kaniv
Hydroelectric
plant
Poltava
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Luhansk
Dnipro
Possible future
Russian advance
Horlivka
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Polohy
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Detail area
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Ovruch
Konotop
Sumy
Brovary
RUSSIA
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Kharkiv
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Poltava
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Possible
future
Russian
advance
Dnipro
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Polohy
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Dnipro occupies an important position. If Russian troops can advance on it both from the north, near Kharkiv, and from the south, up from Crimea, they could isolate Ukrainian forces fighting in the Donbas region in the east, or force them to retreat.
If the Ukrainian forces in the east are not already withdrawing, they could be potentially encircled and destroyed soon, according to an analysis by Konrad Muzyka, a defense analyst for Rochan Consulting.
Southern Ukraine is where Russian forces have advanced the most since the invasion began 13 days ago, and Russian forces have continued to press north of Melitopol after taking control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Friday.
Russian troops control the small city of Polohy, and the city has been without heat, electricity or running water for six days, according to a statement on Tuesday by Ivan Arefiev, a spokesman for the regional military administration.
One aim of recent advances appears to be uniting three groups of Russian forces: troops in the south coming from Crimea; troops moving southeast from near Kharkiv; and Russia-backed separatists pushing the front line in the Donbas region.
Mariupol, a city on Ukraine’s southern coast, is still holding out against a Russian siege that has left residents without electricity or basic services. It is the last city standing between the unification of Russia-backed separatists attacking from the east and Russian troops advancing from Crimea.
Agnes Chang, Keith Collins, Lazaro Gamio, Marco Hernandez, Josh Holder, Allison McCann, Scott Reinhard and Pablo Robles
March 6, 2022
Russia moves toward Kyiv from the east and attacks civilians from the west
In the first 11 days of the war, Russian forces have pushed into the areas north and northeast of Kyiv, in an effort to encircle and capture the capital city.
25 miles
BELARUS
Chernihiv
RUSSIA
Konotop
Russian forces were establishing a forward helicopter base near Ivankiv.
Sumy
Kozarovychi
Directions of recent Russian advances toward Kyiv
Hostomel
Bucha
Irpin
The Ukrainian Air Force attacked Russian forces in Peremoha, according to the Ukrainian military.
Stoyanka
Kyiv
Markhalivka
Area of detail
UKRAINE
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Large strike on residential neighborhood in Bila Tserkva.
50 miles
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
Russian forces
were establishing
a forward
helicopter base
near Ivankiv.
Konotop
Sumy
Directions of recent Russian advances toward Kyiv
Kozarovychi
Irpin
Kyiv
Stoyanka
UKRAINE
The Ukrainian Air Force attacked Russian forces in Peremoha, according to the Ukrainian military.
Markhalivka
Area of detail
Kyiv
Large strike on residential neighborhood in Bila Tserkva.
UKRAINE
50 miles
RUSSIA
BELARUS
A Russian forward
helicopter base
was established
near Ivankiv.
Chernihiv
Konotop
Sumy
Kozarovychi
Peremoha
Irpin
Kyiv
Directions of recent Russian advances toward Kyiv
Markhalivka
Large strike on residential neighborhood in Bila Tserkva.
Area of detail
Kyiv
UKR.
UKRAINE
Russia has moved to encircle other key cities throughout the north as it advances toward Kyiv, according to intelligence reports from Britain’s Ministry of Defense. Attempts to take Chernihiv have not been successful, while advances from Sumy through the sparsely populated areas to the east of Kyiv have been met with less resistance, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington research group.
Russia’s ground forces, including armored vehicles and tanks, have not moved as far along in the dense, urban areas around Kyiv. Ukrainian forces have launched ambushes using small, nimble military units to sneak up on Russian forces. These units are armed with anti-tank missiles that are used to counter Russia’s heavy machinery.
While Russia has not launched major ground operations into the heart of Kyiv over the past two days, intense shelling has continued in several surrounding towns. On Sunday, a Times photographer witnessed four people, including a mother and her two children, killed by a strike as mortar shelling targeted a battered bridge used by evacuees in Irpin who were trying to escape to Kyiv.
Evacuees huddled under a
destroyed bridge, one of the
main escape routes out of Irpin.
IRPIN
At least four people,
including two children,
were killed by a mortar
shell.
Irpin River
P30 road
Evacuation
route toward
Kyiv
Irpin
Kyiv
UKR.
Irpin River
Evacuees huddled under a
destroyed bridge, one of the
main escape routes out of Irpin.
IRPIN
At least four people,
including two children, were
killed by a mortar shell.
Irpin River
P30 road
Irpin
Kyiv
Evacuation route
toward Kyiv
UKRAINE
Irpin River
Evacuees huddled under a
destroyed bridge, one of the
main escape routes out of Irpin.
IRPIN
At least four people,
including two children, were
killed by a mortar shell.
Irpin River
P30 road
Irpin
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Evacuation route
toward Kyiv
Weiyi Cai, Eleanor Lutz, Blacki Migliozzi, Scott Reinhard, Anjali Singhvi and Charlie Smart
March 5, 2022
The Russian offensive in three parts of the south
Russia continued to make advances on Saturday in southeastern Ukraine, pushing into the areas around Melitopol and continuing to move toward Mykolaiv, another strategic port city on the Black Sea.
Dnipro
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Russia now controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Volnovakha
Russian forces continued to push toward Mykolaiv.
Mariupol
Melitopol
Evacuations of Mariupol and Volnovakha were halted amid Russian shelling.
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
RUSSIA
CRIMEA
Kyiv
Sevastopol
UKRAINE
Detail area
BLACK SEA
100 miles
UKRAINE
Russia now controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Luhansk
Russian forces continued to push toward Mykolaiv.
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Volnovakha
Mariupol
Melitopol
Kherson
Evacuations of Mariupol and Volnovakha were halted amid Russian shelling.
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Sevastopol
Detail area
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Russia now controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Cherkasy
UKRAINE
Dnipro
Volnovakha
Mariupol
Kherson
Evacuations of Mariupol and Volnovakha were halted amid Russian shelling.
Russian forces continued to push toward Mykolaiv.
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
Kyiv
UKR.
BLACK SEA
Detail
area
100 miles
Russian forces still surround Mariupol, where about a half million people have been without heat, electricity or water for several days. A Russian-declared cease-fire was intended to allow civilians to leave Mariupol and Volnovakha on Saturday, but the evacuations were halted amid what Ukrainian officials said was renewed shelling.
On Friday Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, and Ukrainian officials said the plant is now under control of Russian forces.
March 5, 2022
Russian attacks on nuclear sites could destabilize Ukraine’s energy supply
Russian forces attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on March 3 and are now reportedly pushing toward the South Ukraine nuclear power plant. These are Ukraine’s two largest nuclear power plants, together responsible for one-third of Ukraine’s electricity generation.
BELARUS
POLAND
RUSSIA
Rivne
Chernobyl
(defunct)
Sumy
Lviv
Khmelnitski
Kyiv
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Donetsk
South Ukraine
MOLDOVA
Zaporizhzhia
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Rivne
POLAND
Chernobyl
(defunct)
Sumy
Lviv
Khmelnitski
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Dnipro
Luhansk
South Ukraine
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Zaporizhzhia
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
200 miles
BELARUS
POL.
Chernobyl
(defunct)
RUSSIA
Rivne
Kyiv
Khmelnitski
UKRAINE
South Ukraine
MOLDOVA
Zaporizhzhia
ROMANIA
Kherson
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
BULGARIA
BLACK SEA
200 miles
Ukraine has a total of four nuclear power plants consisting of 15 reactors that generate roughly 50 percent of the country’s electricity. After nuclear power, coal is the largest source of electricity generated in the country. Many of Ukraine’s coal-fired power plants lie in the Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014.
Electricity generation in Ukraine by source
Nuclear
54%
Other sources
16%
Coal
30%
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
Nuclear
54%
Other sources
16%
Coal
30%
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
Control over Ukraine’s electricity generation would give Russian forces another tool in their effort to gain control of the country.
In recent years, Ukraine was already taking steps to disconnect itself from the Soviet-era energy grid it shares with Russia and Belarus, instead looking to connect to a grid shared by its western neighbors. It was running tests on its energy system on Feb. 24, the very day the Russians invaded. The connection to the rest of Europe’s grid was originally planned for completion in 2023, but Ukrainian officials are now looking to expedite it.
As Russian invasion efforts have been frustrated by staunch Ukrainian resistance, Russian forces have moved to using artillery and air strikes to try to achieve their goals. Many of the targets struck have been civilian buildings, among them at least one coal power plant that was leveled in Okhtyrka, near Sumy in the northern part of the country. Prior to the invasion, one coal plant caught fire after being shelled by separatist forces in the Donbas region.
Russian forces also control at least one hydroelectric dam in the south of the country and are working to capture another north of Kyiv. Russian forces have additionally occupied the Chernobyl nuclear site since early in the conflict, though its four reactors are defunct.
March 4, 2022
Civilians try to escape as fight for Kyiv continues
As Russian forces tried to close in on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, thousands of people — mostly women and children — rushed to catch trains on Friday as explosions shook the city. Ukraine’s military said in a statement that the Russian army’s primary objective was now to encircle the capital.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kozarovychi
Bridges
destroyed
Kyiv
Reservoir
Hostomel
Railways
Bucha
Irpin
Civilians are fleeing
to Kyiv from Irpin
Kyiv
Stoyanka
Main train
station
Cruise missile is
seen in parking lot
Railways southwest
of Kyiv remain open
5 miles
Markhalivka
Kyiv
Kozarovychi
UKRAINE
Bridges
destroyed
Kyiv
Reservoir
Hostomel
Railways
Bucha
Irpin
Civilians are fleeing
to Kyiv from Irpin
Kyiv
Stoyanka
Main train
station
Railways southwest
of Kyiv remain open
Cruise missile is
seen in parking lot
5 miles
Markhalivka
Much of the fighting on Friday took place on the northwestern outskirts of Kyiv, in and around the cities of Hostomel, Bucha and Irpin, as the Russian military tried to push closer to the capital.
Civilians in Irpin, where troops and a Russian tank were photographed on Friday, raced to catch trains heading southeast into the capital. A small airport in Hostomel was the site of a continuing battle.
In Kozarovychi, a village about 25 miles north of Kyiv, a base of Russian paratroopers was destroyed by Ukrainian artillery, according to local press. In Markhalivka, to the southwest, an airstrike hit a rural residential area, Ukrainian law enforcement officials said, killing at least seven people.
Several bridges have been destroyed around Kyiv, possibly by Ukrainian forces hoping to slow the advancement of Russian troops. In the capital on Friday, a silvery, metallic tail section of what appeared to be a cruise missile was seen in a parking lot.
Weiyi Cai, Keith Collins, Denise Lu and Yuliya Parshina-Kottas
March 4, 2022
Fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility
Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex
Reactors
Spray ponds
Spent fuel storage
Site of fire
Training center
Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex
Reactors
Spray ponds
Spent fuel storage
Site of fire
Training center
Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex
Reactors
Spray ponds
Spent fuel storage
Site of fire
Training center
A fire set off by fighting at Europe’s largest nuclear plant on Friday caused damage to a training facility about 1,500 feet from the nearest of the plant’s six nuclear reactors, according to an analysis of imagery of the fire.
The damage set off widespread fears of a radiological disaster, but international monitors said early Friday that there was no immediate sign that radiation had leaked from the Zaporizhzhia plant.
There was also damage to “the structure of the reactor compartment” at one of the six reactors, which did not affect the safety of the unit, according to a statement by Ukrainian nuclear officials. It was unclear which reactor structure was damaged.
Russian troops took control of the facility after an intense gun battle on Friday. Although radiation levels did not appear to spike, there were many remaining dangers — from workers being able to do their critical jobs while the plant is occupied to the possibility of unreported damage at one of the reactors.
Besides the threat of fighting to Zaporizhzhia’s reactors and their cores full of highly radioactive fuel, the site has many acres of open pools of water where spent fuel rods have been cooled for years. Experts fear that errant shells or missiles that hit such sites could set off radiological disasters.
Russian forces are expected to continue to push north of the nuclear plant, toward the city of Zaporizhzhia. To the east, Russian troops have for days encircled the port city of Mariupol, a key point between the Donbas region, controlled by Russian-backed separatists, and the Russia-controlled Crimean Peninsula.
Dnipro
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Volnovakha
Mykolaiv is preparing for an imminent Russian attack.
Melitopol
Electricity, water and power are disrupted in Mariupol, which is under frequent shelling.
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
RUSSIA
CRIMEA
Kyiv
Sevastopol
UKRAINE
Detail area
BLACK SEA
100 miles
UKRAINE
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Luhansk
Mykolaiv is preparing for an imminent Russian attack.
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Melitopol
Kherson
Electricity, water and power are disrupted in Mariupol, which is under frequent shelling.
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Sevastopol
Detail area
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Cherkasy
UKRAINE
Dnipro
Zaporizhzhia
Kherson
Electricity, water and power are disrupted in Mariupol, which is under frequent shelling.
Mykolaiv is preparing for an imminent Russian attack.
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
Kyiv
UKRAINE
BLACK SEA
Detail
area
100 miles
If Russian forces take over the entire coast to the east of Crimea, Ukraine’s army east of the Dnieper River could be isolated, and Russia could control the Sea of Azov and its industrial infrastructure.
Allison McCann, Pablo Robles, Marco Hernandez and William J.Broad
March 4, 2022
The status of the Russian invasion
BELARUS
POLAND
Chernihiv
RUSSIA
Sumy
Lviv
Kyiv
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
BELARUS
RUSSIA
POLAND
Chernihiv
Sumy
Lviv
Kyiv
Kharkiv
Kremenchuk
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Dnipro
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
200 miles
BULGARIA
BLACK SEA
BELARUS
POL.
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
Sumy
Lviv
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Dnipro
Zaporizhzhia
MOLDOVA
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
ROMANIA
Kherson
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
BULGARIA
BLACK SEA
200 miles
After nine days of fighting, Russia’s primary effort remains capturing Kyiv, the capital. But Russian forces continued to attack Ukraine on several other fronts, laying siege to cities and trying to control vital ports.
In the south, Russia appears to be intent on capturing Ukraine’s entire Black Sea coast, in an apparent attempt to cut it off from shipping. Russian troops pushing north from Crimea on Wednesday seized the strategically important southern port city of Kherson, the first major city to fall to the Russian military. Those troops are continuing to push west to another port city, Mykolaiv, and then are expected to target Odessa, according to an analysis from the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington research group.
Russia seized the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, near Zaporizhzhia, after intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. A fire that had broken out there was extinguished, and radiation does not appear to have leaked, international monitors said.
Russian troops have also encircled the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, a key point between the Donbas region, controlled by Russian-backed separatists, and the Russia-controlled Crimean Peninsula. If Russian forces take over the area, Ukraine’s army east of the Dnieper River could face encirclement, and Russia would be able to take control of the Sea of Azov and its industrial infrastructure. The bombardment in Mariupol has cut power, water and heat to the people, the local mayor, Vadym Boichenko, said in a statement on Facebook.
In Kyiv, Russian forces pushing in from the western outskirts of the city have been met with strong Ukrainian resistance. Additional forces east of Kyiv are advancing toward the capital, according to the institute.
The second-largest city, Kharkiv, has been the site of heavy bombardment, with several civilian structures hit as Russians attempt to encircle the city. Videos of the city center verified by The New York Times show large buildings and storefronts with severe structural damage, as well as damage to residential buildings and schools on the outskirts of the city.
Weiyi Cai, Keith Collins, Lazaro Gamio, Denise Lu, Allison McCann, Scott Reinhard, Pablo Robles and Julie Walton Shaver
March 2, 2022
Russia captures major southern city and surrounds another
Luhansk
Dnipro
UKRAINE
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Russian forces
surrounded and
bombarded Mariupol.
Nikopol
Ukrainian forces
are retreating to
Mykolaiv.
Rostov-on-Don
Russian forces
have seized
Kherson.
Berdiansk
Russian forces
captured Melitopol
on Feb. 25.
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
Russian forces
destroyed a
dam on Feb. 26.
RUSSIA
CRIMEA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Sevastopol
Detail area
BLACK SEA
50 miles
Luhansk
Dnipro
UKRAINE
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Russian forces
surrounded and
bombarded Mariupol.
Nikopol
Ukrainian forces
are retreating to
Mykolaiv.
Russian forces
have seized
Kherson.
Berdiansk
Russian forces
captured Melitopol
on Feb. 25.
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
Russian forces
destroyed a
dam on Feb. 26.
RUSSIA
CRIMEA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
BLACK SEA
Sevastopol
Detail area
100 miles
Horlivka
UKRAINE
Russian forces
surrounded and
bombarded Mariupol.
Ukrainian forces
are retreating to
Mykolaiv.
Russian forces
have seized
Kherson.
Russian forces
captured Melitopol
on Feb. 25.
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
Russian forces
destroyed a dam
on Feb. 26.
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Detail
area
BLACK SEA
100 miles
The Black Sea port of Kherson, in the southern region of Ukraine, became the first major city to come under full control of Russian forces on Wednesday.
“There is no Ukrainian army here,” said Igor Kolykhaev, the city’s mayor. “The city is surrounded.”
Russian troops first approached the city on Friday and met heavy resistance. On Saturday, they destroyed a dam in the region that Ukraine had built in 2014 in order to cut off an important water source to Crimea.
Ukrainian forces retreated west toward Mykolaiv, Mr. Kolykhaev said. Russian forces are likely to head there in their drive to Odessa.
Gennady Trukhanov, the mayor of Odessa, backed by assessments from Ukraine’s military, said on Wednesday that Russia’s goal was likely to surround Odessa with land and naval forces, cutting off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea and the country’s primary link to the global economy.
“My sense is that they will encircle Odessa and hold that position while they continue their assault on Kyiv,” Mr. Trukhanov said.
About 260 miles to the east of Kherson, Russian forces also have surrounded the port city of Mariupol by land and sea, and have been bombarding critical infrastructure and civilian targets, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Capturing Mariupol would allow Russian forces in the south to join with Russian-backed separatists in the east, isolating Ukrainian troops in the region.
March 2, 2022
Where Russia has hit civilian structures in Kharkiv since Monday
Russian troops are coming from the north
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Commercial building
Shevchenkivskyi
Residential and commercial buildings
Saltivka
Residential and commercial buildings
Administrative building
Kharkiv
University building
Residential building
Nemyshlianskyi
Zhovtnevy
Residential buildings
5 miles
Russian forces occupy areas north of the city
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Shevchenkivskyi
Commercial building
Residential and commercial buildings
Saltivka
Residential and commercial buildings
Administrative building
Kharkiv
University building
Nemyshlianskyi
Zhovtnevy
Residential building
Residential buildings
5 miles
Russian troops are coming from the north
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Residential and commercial buildings
Commercial building
Saltivka
Residential and commercial buildings
Administrative building
Kharkiv
University building
Zhovtnevy
Nemyshlianskyi
Residential building
Residential buildings
5 miles
The city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine continued to be pummeled with airstrikes and shelling on Wednesday. Blasts or explosions have been reported in at least seven locations around the city since Monday. The head of the Kharkiv region said on Facebook that at least 20 people had been killed and 125 had been injured since Saturday.
The strikes and ensuing explosions over the last two days have damaged office buildings, a university building and residential districts in the city. On Tuesday, a large explosion struck directly in front of the Kharkiv’s administrative building, shown below. At least seven people were killed and another 24 were injured.
Kharkiv Regional State Administration
June 2015
Google Maps Street View
March 1, 2022
Pavel Dorogoy / Associated Press
After Russian ground forces failed to take control of Kharkiv on Friday, analysts say that Moscow is now focused on air, missile and artillery strikes before likely launching a renewed ground offensive.
On Wednesday, just after 8 a.m. local time, a missile strike damaged three buildings at one intersection: a building of Kharkiv National University, shown below; the police headquarters; and an office of the National Security Service. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported three people injured so far on Wednesday, with rescue work ongoing.
Faculty of Economics, Kharkiv National University
April 2018
Google Maps user image
March 2, 2022
State Emergency Service of Ukraine
These attacks followed the shelling of a residential neighborhood on Monday that killed at least nine people, including an Indian student studying medicine in Kharkiv.
National Police Headquarters
December 2021
Google Maps user image
March 2, 2022
Oleksandr Lapshyn / Reuters
About 1.5 million people live in the city of Kharkiv, according to the latest estimates, making it Ukraine’s second-largest city. Residents have sheltered in subway stations, basements and bunkers since the assault on the city began last week.
Agnes Chang, Lazaro Gamio, Pablo Robles, Marco Hernandez and Allison McCann
March 1, 2022
Russia’s shifting strategy in six days of attacks on Kyiv
RUS.
50 miles
Gomel
Belarus
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Chernobyl
reactor
Failed attack
on Hostomel
UKRAINE
Detail
area
Kyiv
UKR.
RUS.
Gomel
Belarus
Mazyr
Russian
troops forced
to bypass
Chernihiv.
Dnieper R.
Ground assault
on Hostomel
Kyiv
UKRAINE
RUS.
Gomel
Belarus
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Russian troops
advance
from east.
Russian troops enter
outskirts of Kyiv.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
RUS.
Gomel
Belarus
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Troops advance
on both sides
of Dnieper River.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
RUS.
Gomel
Belarus
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Russia
deploys
additional
artillery and
troops to the
west of Kyiv.
Irpin
Kyiv
UKRAINE
RUS.
Gomel
Belarus
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Russian military
vehicles headed
toward Kyiv.
Russian forces
were seen in an
area east of Kyiv.
TV tower hit by
projectile in Kyiv
UKRAINE
In six days of fighting in Ukraine, Russian forces have seized territory in the county’s south and east but remain shut out of some major cities and the capital, Kyiv, prompting a ramped up effort to surround the city and an escalation of attacks on civilian infrastructure around the country.
The invasion, and the push into Kyiv, began on Feb. 24 local time with an early-morning campaign of airstrikes that aimed to take out Ukraine’s air power. Once military bases and airports across the country were struck, Russian forces began their assault from the border with Belarus, to the north of the capital.
On that first day of fighting, troops that entered from the northwest captured the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and Russian forces began moving toward Kyiv. Special forces and airborne troops were closing in on the capital by the end of the day but were met with a fierce defense mounted by Ukrainian forces.
Forces that entered Ukraine from the northeast also encountered heavy resistance in the city of Chernihiv, which lies on the road to Kyiv. By the second day, troops bypassed the city and headed south along the Dnieper River.
West of the river, Ukrainian troops withdrew from the Hostomel airport on Friday, and it was captured by Russian troops, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington research group. Ukrainian forces, however, appeared to have destroyed the airport’s runway, rendering it unusable.
Over the next several days, Russia bombarded Kyiv with missile strikes, and troops began pushing into the city from the northwest. The forces that had come from the northeast also advanced along the east bank of the Dnieper River, drawing closer to the capital.
Satellite images taken from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28 show bridges that were destroyed in and around Kyiv, some possibly by Ukrainian forces to slow the advancement of Russian troops.
Bridges destroyed in Ukraine
Russian troops have now consolidated on two fronts, in the northwest and the northeast areas of Kyiv, and may attempt to cut off supply lines of arms and other military equipment arriving from European Union countries. Ukrainian forces have so far defended against incursions from Kyiv’s west, including an attack on the nearby city of Irpin on Monday.
As of Tuesday, the Russians had deployed heavy artillery and more forces to the area northwest of Kyiv, a likely prelude to the intense shelling that could soon befall the capital. A long convoy of Russian forces was also seen approaching the city. The convoy may aid in direct assaults on the city from the northwest, but it is more likely to bolster the effort to surround the city, particularly from the west, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
On the east side of the river on Tuesday, Russian vehicles reportedly moved east toward Bobrovytsia, the institute said, possibly to join the forces near Nizhyn, about 70 miles east of Kyiv.
Agnes Chang, Keith Collins, Lazaro Gamio, Denise Lu, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Scott Reinhard, Pablo Robles, Michael Schwirtz and Tim Wallace
March 1, 2022
Russia takes aim at civilian targets
Russia appeared to target civilian areas with increasingly powerful weapons on Tuesday, damaging major cities and dramatically raising the risk of civilian deaths.
A large explosion hit central Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, destroying a large administration building and killing at least seven people. A second attack in a residential neighborhood in Kharkiv destroyed a hospital and resulted in several deaths and injuries, the city’s mayor told a local television station. And video showed a projectile hitting the main radio and television tower in Kyiv, the capital, forcing television stations off the air, according to Ukrainian officials.
BELARUS
Klintsy
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Chernihiv
A projectile hit the main radio and television tower in the capital.
An enormous explosion hit the city’s central square.
Belgorod
Lviv
Kyiv
Okhtyrka
Boguchar
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Mariupol
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Intense fighting for a critical port city that lacks heat and electricity.
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
BULGARIA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
BELARUS
RUSSIA
A projectile hit the main radio and television tower in the capital.
POLAND
Chernihiv
Kursk
An enormous explosion hit the city’s central square.
Zhytomyr
Lviv
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Boguchar
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Dnipro
Luhansk
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Zaporizhzhia
Mariupol
Melitopol
Tiraspol
Rostov-on-Don
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
Intense fighting for a critical port city that lacks heat and electricity.
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula
from Ukraine in 2014.
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Moscow
A projectile hit the main radio and television tower in the capital.
RUSSIA
POL.
An enormous explosion hit the city’s central square.
Lviv
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
MOLDOVA
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
CRIMEA
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula from
Ukraine in 2014.
BLACK SEA
200 miles
Russian forces battled for control of two major cities in the south. Videos showed Russian troops patrolling Kherson and an explosion at an apartment building, although Ukrainians kept control, according to Janes, a company that analyzes intelligence. The mayor of Mariupol, a key port city, said residents lacked electricity and heat after days of intense fighting. Capturing Mariupol would allow Russian forces in the south to join with Russian-backed separatists in the east, isolating Ukrainian troops in the region.
Security footage of the apparent airstrike in Kharkiv showed what appeared to be a rocket hitting directly in front of the city’s administration building, creating a large fireball that engulfed several cars. The blast left behind a large crater near the city’s central square.
Outside of the capital, a convoy of Russian tanks and vehicles, now about 40 miles long, could still be seen in satellite images. A renewed assault on western Kyiv was likely to start again on Tuesday, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War.
Josh Holder, Marco Hernandez, Michael Schwirtz and Allison McCann
Updated March 1, 2022
More than half a million refugees flee Ukraine
Belarus
Fewer than 500
Poland
337,400
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Slovakia
30,000
Total refugees
At least 575,400
UKRAINE
Hungary
94,000
People
to Russia
129,000
Moldova
40,000
Romania
34,000
Other European
countries
34,000
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Belarus
Fewer than 500
Poland
337,400
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Slovakia
30,000
Total refugees
At least 575,400
Hungary
94,000
UKRAINE
People
to Russia
129,000
Moldova
40,000
Romania
34,000
SEA OF
AZOV
Other European
countries
34,000
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
200 miles
Belarus
Fewer than 500
Poland
337,400
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Slovakia
30,000
Total refugees
At least 575,400
UKRAINE
Hungary
94,000
Moldova
40,000
People
to Russia
129,000
Romania
34,000
CRIMEA
Other European
countries
34,000
BLACK SEA
300 miles
More than half a million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began last week, according to the United Nations refugee agency. About half of them crossed Ukraine’s western border to Poland. Others have gone to Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. Ukraine enacted martial law at the beginning of the conflict that requires men ages 18 to 60 to remain in the country.
For many refugees, these bordering countries could be a first stop of their journey. Romanian authorities said about half of those who had entered the country so far had already left for other European countries.
According to the refugee agency, an additional 129,000 people have reportedly been displaced to Russia from Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region since Feb. 18, when Russian-backed separatists there called for residents to evacuate to Russia as tensions escalated.
The refugee crisis is the most intense week of human flight within Europe’s borders since at least the Balkan wars of the 1990s. But in contrast to previous crises in Europe over the past decade, these refugees are being welcomed.
There are also reports of people who are unable to leave Ukraine. About 15,000 Indian citizens remained stranded at the start of the conflict, India’s foreign secretary told reporters late Sunday. The Indian government has managed to evacuate about 2,000 of them through border crossings with Ukraine’s neighboring countries.
Thousands of citizens of African countries, many of them medical and science students at Ukrainian universities, are also trapped in several Ukrainian cities. Somalia’s foreign minister said that his office had contacted countries such as Poland in an effort to provide legal entry to about 300 Somalis.
The United Nations says it is preparing for up to four million refugees from Ukraine in the coming days and weeks.
Agnes Chang, Marco Hernandez, Denise Lu and Scott Reinhard
Feb. 28, 2022
Russian rockets hit Kharkiv, and troops move to encircle Kyiv
Russian rockets on Monday hit a residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killing dozens of people, according to Ukrainian officials. Videos of the attacks appear to show the most aggressive targeting of a civilian area by Russian airstrikes since the invasion began five days ago.
Ukrainian forces retained control of major cities. But Russian troops have moved to towns west of Kyiv, the capital, including Borodianka, according to Ukrainian officials and videos of the fighting. The movement may be an attempt to encircle Kyiv and cut off supply lines of arms and other military equipment arriving from E.U. countries.
BELARUS
Klintsy
Brest
RUSSIA
Russian forces moved west of Kyiv, possibly trying to sever supply lines.
POLAND
Russian rocket attacks hit residential areas and killed dozens of civilians.
Chernihiv
Kursk
Belgorod
Lviv
Zhytomyr
Kyiv
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 27.
Boguchar
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
Area of Donbas region held by
Russian-backed separatists
UKRAINE
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
ROMANIA
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
Russian forces took control of Berdiansk.
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
BULGARIA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 27.
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Russian forces moved west of Kyiv, possibly trying to sever supply lines.
POLAND
Russian rocket attacks hit residential areas and killed dozens of civilians.
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Zhytomyr
Lviv
Kyiv
Boguchar
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Area of Donbas region held by
Russian-backed separatists
Dnipro
Luhansk
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Zaporizhzhia
Mariupol
Kherson
Melitopol
Tiraspol
Rostov-on-Don
ROMANIA
Odessa
Russian forces took control of Berdiansk.
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula
from Ukraine in 2014.
200 miles
BLACK SEA
Moscow
RUSSIA
POL.
Russian rocket attacks hit residential areas and killed dozens of civilians.
BELARUS
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 27.
Lviv
Kyiv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
MOLDOVA
Zaporizhzhia
ROMANIA
Odessa
Area of Donbas
region held by
Russian-backed
separatists
CRIMEA
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula from
Ukraine in 2014.
BLACK SEA
200 miles
Russian troops in southern Ukraine continued to advance, capturing the coastal city of Berdiansk. Russian airstrikes hit Zaporizhzhia, up the Dnieper River, according to Ukrainian officials. And Russian officials claimed to take control of a nearby town, Enerhodar, although Ukrainian officials disputed this.
The rocket attacks in Kharkiv could be seen in videos posted to Telegram on Monday and verified by The New York Times. The number of casualties could not immediately be confirmed.
Talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began in Belarus even as the fighting continued. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said before the meeting that he was not hopeful that the talks would end the hostilities.
Josh Holder, Allison McCann, Marco Hernandez, Haley Willis, Ainara Tiefenthäler and Michael Schwirtz
Feb. 27, 2022
Russia’s advance on Ukrainian cities is slowed by resistance
The Russian military’s push toward Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, slowed over the weekend. After rapid incursions toward Kyiv during the first two days of the invasion, Russian forces made limited new territorial gains. Instead, experts say Russia may have focused on moving additional combat supplies to the front lines.
Klintsy
Brest
BELARUS
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Voronezh
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 27.
Belgorod
Russian troop
movements
Kyiv
Lviv
Boguchar
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Area of Donbas region held by
Russian-backed separatists
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
100 miles
BULGARIA
BLACK SEA
BELARUS
Pochep
RUSSIA
Brest
Klintsy
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Voronezh
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 27.
Belgorod
Kyiv
Russian troop
movements
Lviv
Boguchar
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Area of Donbas region held by
Russian-backed separatists
Dnipro
Luhansk
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
MOLDOVA
Melitopol
Tiraspol
Mariupol
Rostov-on-Don
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula
from Ukraine in 2014.
200 miles
BLACK SEA
Moscow
RUSSIA
POL.
BELARUS
Area of Donbas
region held by
Russian-backed
separatists
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 27.
Chernihiv
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Zaporizhzhia
MOLDOVA
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula from
Ukraine in 2014.
BLACK SEA
200 miles
The relative pause may stem from Russia previously underestimating Ukrainian forces, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War. So far, Ukraine has held Russia out of several cities including Kyiv and Kharkiv. Footage analyzed by The New York Times showed Russian forces advancing closer than previously seen to the center of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, but they were mostly pushed back.
In the country’s south, forces have continued to advance north toward Zaporizhzhia and have encircled Mariupol, beginning initial assaults on the port city. Despite Russian-backed separatist control of the Donbas region in the country’s east, Russian and separatist troops have not made major advances against Ukrainian forces there.
Experts predict strong Russian attacks will resume in the coming days as Russia commits more resources to the offensive. And even as talks between Ukraine and Russia neared, satellite imagery on Sunday showed a miles-long convoy of hundreds of Russian military vehicles bearing down on Kyiv.
High civilian casualties may also be likely in the coming days if the Russian military continues its push into densely populated urban areas. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on Sunday that 352 civilians have been killed, including 14 children.
Feb. 26, 2022
Three regions where Russian forces are pushing into Ukraine
Russia has established attack lines into three regions of Ukraine: toward Kyiv, the capital, from the north; toward Kharkiv, from the northeast; and fanning out from Crimea in the south. Ukraine has also fought Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region to the east.
Klintsy
BELARUS
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Voronezh
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Belgorod
Russian troop
movements
Kyiv
Lviv
Boguchar
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Area of Donbas region held by
Russian-backed separatists
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
BULGARIA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
BELARUS
Pochep
RUSSIA
Brest
Klintsy
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Voronezh
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Belgorod
Kyiv
Russian troop
movements
Lviv
Kharkiv
Boguchar
UKRAINE
Area of Donbas region held by
Russian-backed separatists
Dnipro
Luhansk
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Melitopol
Tiraspol
Rostov-on-Don
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula
from Ukraine in 2014.
200 miles
BLACK SEA
Moscow
RUSSIA
POL.
BELARUS
Area of Donbas
region held by
Russian-backed
separatists
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Chernihiv
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula from
Ukraine in 2014.
BLACK SEA
200 miles
Russian forces pushed toward Kyiv from the north and east, but had yet to take the capital on Saturday after heavy shelling and intense fighting. After failing to capture Chernihiv, Russian troops moved around the city toward Kyiv, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War, a research group in Washington.
RUSSIA
Kalinkavichy
Senkivka
BELARUS
Mazyr
Chojniki
Ripky
Horodnya
Snovsk
Koryukivka
Velyki Osnyaky
Rivnopillya
Berezna
Chernihiv
Mena
Ovruch
Chernobyl
reactor
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Russian forces were stopped short of Kyiv’s eastern outskirts.
Nizhyn
Korosten
Nosivka
Ground troops entered the outskirts of Kyiv on the west bank of the Dnieper River.
Kozelets
Kyiv
Reservoir
Malyn
UKRAINE
Detail area
Hostomel
Obolon
Kyiv
Bridges destroyed
UKRAINE
Berezan
20 miles
RUSSIA
BELARUS
Gomel
Rechitsa
Kalinkavichy
Mazyr
Horodnya
Chojniki
Ripky
Koryukivka
Velyki
Osnyaky
Rivnopillya
Chernihiv
Mena
Chernobyl
reactor
Ovruch
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Ground troops
entered the outskirts of Kyiv on the west bank of the Dnieper River.
Nizhyn
Russian forces were stopped short of Kyiv’s eastern outskirts.
Korosten
Malyn
UKRAINE
Detail
area
Hostomel
Obolon
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Bridges destroyed
Berezan
20 miles
RUSSIA
BELARUS
Gomel
Mazyr
Velyki
Osnyaky
Rivnopillya
Chernihiv
Chernobyl
reactor
UKRAINE
Ground troops entered the outskirts of Kyiv on the west bank of the Dnieper River.
Russian forces were stopped short of Kyiv’s eastern outskirts.
Hostomel
Detail
area
Kyiv
Areas occupied
by Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Bridges
destroyed
UKR.
50 miles
Troops crossed the Russian border at several points and advanced toward Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine. On Friday, the fighting appeared to center a few miles outside the city limits, near the village of Tsyrkuny. A Kharkiv government Telegram account on Saturday said Russian troops were being fought at multiple points to the north and southeast of the city.
Ground troops pushed
into Ukraine across a
wide stretch of the
Russian border.
RUSSIA
Sumy
Belgorod
A cluster warhead was found
embedded in the ground.
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Vovchansk
Okhtyrka
Tsyrkuny
UKRAINE
Shelling
Kharkiv
Chuguiv
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
20 miles
Ground troops pushed
into Ukraine across a
wide stretch of the
Russian border.
RUSSIA
Sumy
Belgorod
Okhtyrka
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Vovchansk
A cluster warhead was found
embedded in
the ground.
Tsyrkuny
UKRAINE
Shelling
Detail area
Kharkiv
Chuguiv
Kyiv
UKRAINE
20 miles
Ground troops pushed
into Ukraine across a
wide stretch of the
Russian border.
RUSSIA
Sumy
Belgorod
Okhtyrka
Vovchansk
A cluster warhead was found embedded in the ground.
Tsyrkuny
Shelling
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Kharkiv
Chuguiv
Detail
area
UKRAINE
UKR.
20 miles
Russian forces coming from Crimea pushed north toward Zaporizhzhia and east toward Mariupol. There has been heavy fighting on a bridge in the city of Kherson, and Russian troops blew up a dam on the North Crimean Canal, built by Ukraine in 2014 to block Crimean water supply from the Dnieper River.
Zaporizhzhia
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
Ten civilians “of Greek origin” were killed by Russian airstrikes near Mariupol.
Melitopol
MOLDOVA
Kherson
Odessa
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Russian forces destroyed a dam that was built to stop the flow of water to Crimea.
Sea of Azov
CRIMEA
Black Sea
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Sevastopol
Detail
area
50 miles
Zaporizhzhia
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Ten civilians “of Greek origin” were killed by Russian airstrikes near Mariupol.
Kherson
Odessa
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Russian forces destroyed a dam that was built to stop the flow of water to Crimea.
Sea of Azov
CRIMEA
Black Sea
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Sevastopol
Detail
area
50 miles
Zaporizhzhia
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Kherson
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Russian forces destroyed a dam here.
CRIMEA
UKR.
Sevastopol
Detail
area
50 miles
A majority of the more than 150,000 Russian forces massed against Ukraine are now fighting in the country, a senior Pentagon official said on Saturday, up from about one-third on Friday.
Larry Buchanan, Weiyi Cai, Agnes Chang, Keith Collins, Blacki Migliozzi, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Jugal K. Patel, Josh Williams, Michael Schwirtz and Andrew E. Kramer
Feb. 26, 2022
Fighting intensifies across Kyiv
Ukrainian forces put up a fierce battle on Saturday to hold Kyiv, the capital, as Russian troops pressed in from all directions. What until three days ago had been a thriving European metropolis has been transformed into a battle zone.
Kyiv
Peremohy Ave.
Clashes
Maidan Square
Kyiv Zoo
Clashes
Train
station
Residential
building
Kyiv
UKRAINE
5 miles
Kyiv
Peremohy Ave.
Clashes
Maidan Square
Kyiv Zoo
Clashes
Train
station
Residential
building
Kyiv
UKRAINE
5 miles
While Ukrainian forces appeared to keep control, fighting reached the city center before appearing to quiet later on Saturday. Combat was seen 400 yards from Maidan Square, according to Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian news site, citing witnesses. There were reports of clashes near the city’s train station closer to the center, according to the witness accounts.
Intense fighting could be seen along Peremohy Avenue, a main thoroughfare. Videos verified by The Times showed vehicles on fire on the street in the neighborhood of Shuliavka, near the Kyiv Zoo.
A residential building was struck by a missile in southwestern Kyiv on Saturday morning, injuring at least a half dozen people.
Russia has established attack lines into three cities — Kyiv in the north, Kharkiv in the northeast and Kherson in the south — and Ukrainian troops are fighting to hold all three.
Keith Collins, Pablo Robles, Andrew E. Kramer, Christoph Koettl, Brenna Smith, Dmitriy Khavin, Muyi Xiao, Malachy Browne and Sarah Kerr
Feb. 25, 2022
Russian forces enter Kyiv, but they are held back on some other fronts
Russian troops have pushed into Ukraine along the country’s southern, eastern and northern borders, but the operation has encountered more resistance from Ukrainian forces farther north in Kyiv and Kharkiv, the country’s two largest cities.
Klintsy
BELARUS
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Voronezh
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 25.
Kyiv
Belgorod
Lviv
Boguchar
Kharkiv
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
Held by Russian-
backed separatists.
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
BULGARIA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
BELARUS
Pochep
RUSSIA
Brest
Klintsy
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Voronezh
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 25.
Belgorod
Kyiv
Lviv
Boguchar
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Held by Russian-
backed separatists.
Luhansk
Dnipro
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Melitopol
Tiraspol
Rostov-on-Don
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula
from Ukraine in 2014.
200 miles
BLACK SEA
Moscow
RUSSIA
POL.
BELARUS
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 25.
Held by
Russian-backed
separatists.
Chernihiv
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Russia annexed the
Crimean Peninsula from
Ukraine in 2014.
BLACK SEA
200 miles
Moscow’s forces entered the western outskirts of Kyiv, the capital, but failed to penetrate the city’s eastern side as of Friday evening local time, according to an independent analysis of the conflict by the Institute for the Study of War, a research group in Washington. Ukrainian forces also prevented Russian troops from taking Chernihiv, a city northeast of Kyiv.
Ukraine’s military said Russian soldiers entered a northern district of Kyiv earlier on Friday and that “sabotage groups” were operating in the city. Intelligence reports from the Pentagon and Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Russia was attempting to encircle the capital.
In the Donbas region to the east, Ukrainian forces held the line of contact with Russian-backed separatist groups there, the Institute for the Study of War analysis said. Near Crimea in the south, Russian forces were reported to have captured the city of Kherson.
Feb. 25, 2022
Russia takes aim at Kyiv
After heavy shelling and ground fighting in cities and towns across Ukraine on Thursday, Russia turned its attention to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, on Friday. Missile strikes hammered Kyiv overnight, and a Russian rocket fragment landed on a residential building, injuring at least three people, the city’s mayor said.
Kyiv
Reservoir
Hostomel
Bridge
destroyed
Kyiv Thermal
Power Plant
Minsk Massif
Obolon
Bridge
destroyed
Kyiv
Mariyinsky Palace
Darnytskyi
Kyiv
UKRAINE
5 miles
Kyiv
Reservoir
Bridge
destroyed
Hostomel
Minsk Massif
Obolon
Kyiv Thermal
Power Plant
Bridge
destroyed
Mariyinsky Palace
Kyiv
Darnytskyi
Kyiv
UKRAINE
10 miles
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Russian forces had attempted to land along the Kyiv reservoir. And on Friday morning, the ministry said that Russian troops had entered the Obolon district, a few miles north of the city center. Ukrainian officials said on Twitter that Kyiv residents should “prepare Molotov cocktails” to deter “the occupier.”
Explosions were heard throughout the city, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media that five explosions appeared to come from the Kyiv Thermal Power Plant No. 6, in the northeast.
Video and photographs verified by The New York Times appear to show two bridges that lead to Kyiv were destroyed — their demolition a new tactic that Ukraine seemed to be using to defend the capital.
The Times was able to verify that two crossings, on the city’s northern and western edges, were destroyed in what appeared to be an attempt to slow down the advancing Russian forces.
RUSSIA
Detail area
UKRAINE
Ripky
Horodnya
Chojniki
Snovsk
Koryukivka
Velyki Osnyaky
BELARUS
Rivnopillya
Chernihiv
Berezna
Mena
Ovruch
Chernobyl
reactor
Kalinkavichy
Mazyr
Nizhyn
UKRAINE
Korosten
Nosivka
Ivankiv
Kozelets
Kyiv
Reservoir
Malyn
Hostomel
Radomyshl
Kyiv
Bridges destroyed to
slow Russian advance
Berezan
Zhytomyr
Dnieper R.
20 miles
Fastiv
RUSSIA
Detail
area
UKRAINE
Horodnya
Chojniki
Ripky
Koryukivka
Snovsk
Velyki Osnyaky
BELARUS
Rivnopillya
Chernihiv
Mena
Chernobyl
reactor
Ovruch
Nizhyn
UKRAINE
Nosivka
Korosten
Ivankiv
Kozelets
Kyiv
Reservoir
Malyn
Hostomel
Radomyshl
Kyiv
Bridges destroyed to
slow Russian advance
Berezan
Zhytomyr
Dnieper R.
Pereiaslav
20 miles
Fastiv
RUSSIA
Gomel
Detail area
UKR.
Velyki Osnyaky
BELARUS
Rivnopillya
Chernihiv
Chernobyl
reactor
UKRAINE
Kyiv
Reservoir
Bridges destroyed to
slow Russian advance
Hostomel
Zhytomyr
Kyiv
Dnieper R.
50 miles
With its focus now on the capital, Moscow made clear that its goal was to topple the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia also said that it had taken control of the territory around the former Chernobyl nuclear plant, about 80 miles north of Kyiv.
Lazaro Gamio, Josh Holder, Pablo Robles, Agnes Chang, Allison McCann, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas and Blacki Migliozzi
Feb. 24, 2022
Where Russia’s land invasion followed air attacks
Fighting continued across Ukraine on Thursday as Russian troops advanced into the country from the northeastern border, the east and the south. As the sun set in the country, special forces and airborne troops were closing in on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Ukrainian officials said in a statement that some civilian targets had come under fire and that Russian forces had seized the former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl.
BELARUS
Russian troops
moved toward
Kyiv, the capital.
Brest
Chernobyl was said
to be under Russian
forces’ control.
RUSSIA
Kursk
POLAND
Voronezh
Chernobyl
Kyiv
Lviv
Valuyki
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
Soldiers closed
in on Kharkiv.
UKRAINE
Millerovo
HUNGARY
Previous line
of contact
Luhansk
Dnipro
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Claimed by
Russian-backed
separatists
Mariupol
Tiraspol
Odessa
ROMANIA
SEA OF
AZOV
Russian troops
landed in the port
city of Odessa.
CRIMEA
Zmiinyi
Island
100 miles
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Russian troops
moved toward
Kyiv, the capital.
Chernobyl was said
to be under Russian
forces’ control.
POLAND
Chernobyl
Soldiers closed
in on Kharkiv.
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Previous line
of contact
Luhansk
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Claimed by
Russian-backed
separatists
Mariupol
Tiraspol
Odessa
ROMANIA
SEA OF
AZOV
Russian troops
landed in the port
city of Odessa.
Korenovsk
Zmiinyi
Island
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
200 miles
RUSSIA
POL.
BELARUS
Russian troops
moved toward
Kyiv, the capital.
Chernobyl was said
to be under Russian
forces’ control.
Soldiers closed
in on Kharkiv.
Chernobyl
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Previous line
of contact
MOLDOVA
Claimed by
Russian-
backed
separatists
Odessa
ROMANIA
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Russian troops
landed in the port
city of Odessa.
BLACK SEA
200 miles
At least 137 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians had been killed, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Russia lost two helicopters and seven aircraft in combat, officials said.
The ground invasion followed heavy shelling and airstrikes that began just before dawn local time. Those attacks had targeted cities, airports and military infrastructure across Ukraine.
BELARUS
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Lutsk
Kyiv
Belgorod
Lviv
Kharkiv
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
Millerovo
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Kryvyi Rih
Previous line
of contact
MOLDOVA
Claimed by
Russian-backed
separatists
Tiraspol
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
100 miles
Sevastopol
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Brest
Klintsy
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
POLAND
Lutsk
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Kryvyi Rih
Previous line
of contact
MOLDOVA
Claimed by
Russian-backed
separatists
Mariupol
Kherson
Tiraspol
ROMANIA
SEA OF
AZOV
Odessa
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Moscow
Yelnya
RUSSIA
BELARUS
Klintsy
POL.
Lutsk
Previous
line of
contact
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Dnipro
MOLDOVA
ROMANIA
Claimed by
Russian-
backed
separatists
Odessa
CRIMEA
200 miles
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it had disabled Ukraine’s air defenses and air bases and that Russian forces had destroyed more than 70 military targets, including 11 airfields, a helicopter and four drones.
Josh Holder, Scott Reinhard, Allison McCann, Marco Hernandez, Keith Collins, Denise Lu and Yuliya Parshina-Kottas
Feb. 24, 2022
Russia carries out a large-scale invasion of Ukraine
On the first day of the first major land war in Europe in decades, the Russian military plunged into Ukraine by land, sea and air. Russia shelled more than a dozen cities and towns, including outside the capital, Kyiv. Russian troops moved across the Ukrainian border in several waves, landing in the port city of Odessa in the south and crossing the eastern border into Kharkiv, the second-largest city.
BELARUS
Russian troops crossed the border moving toward Kyiv, the capital.
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Lutsk
Kyiv
Claimed by
separatists, held
by Ukraine
Belgorod
Lviv
Kharkiv
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
Millerovo
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Line of contact
Held by
separatists
Tiraspol
Kherson
Mariupol
Odessa
ROMANIA
SEA OF
AZOV
Russian troops landed in the port city of Odessa.
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
100 miles
Sevastopol
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
Russian troops crossed the border moving toward Kyiv, the capital.
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Brest
Klintsy
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
POLAND
Lutsk
Claimed by
separatists, held
by Ukraine
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Line of contact
Held by
separatists
Mariupol
Kherson
Tiraspol
Odessa
ROMANIA
SEA OF
AZOV
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
Russian troops landed in the port city of Odessa.
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Moscow
BELARUS
Yelnya
Russian troops crossed the border moving toward Kyiv, the capital.
RUSSIA
Claimed by
separatists, held
by Ukraine
Klintsy
POL.
Lutsk
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Dnipro
MOLDOVA
Line of contact
Held by
separatists
Odessa
ROMANIA
CRIMEA
Russian troops landed in the port city of Odessa.
200 miles
Troops moved into an area north of Kyiv, advancing on Chernihiv, about 80 miles from the capital. And they touched off a pitched battle at the highly radioactive Chernobyl exclusion zone that risked damaging the concrete-encased nuclear reactor that melted down in 1986. By sunset, Russian special forces and airborne troops had seized the Chernobyl site and were pushing into the outskirts of Kyiv.
Some of the most intense fighting was outside of Kharkiv in the northeast, according to a senior U.S. Defense Department official. A video suggested that at least one residential building in the area was destroyed.
And a satellite photo taken by Planet Labs on Thursday morning showed a fire and black smoke rising from the Chuhuiv Air Base outside of Kharkiv.
Russian forces so far have been striking Ukrainian military installations and air-defense targets, using more than 100 medium- and short-range ballistic missiles, the defense official said. Russia has also used sea-launched missiles from warships in the Black Sea.
Satellite images taken before the offensive began show some of the locations hit by airstrikes.
In the south, at least 18 Ukrainian military officials were killed in an attack outside Odessa, where amphibious commandos from the Russian Navy came ashore on Thursday, according to Sergey Nazarov, an aide to Odessa’s mayor. In the east, Russian-backed separatists fought Ukrainian troops along the front line that has divided the rebels and Ukrainian forces since 2014.
The Russian military also moved north from Crimea, headed in the direction of Kherson.
Footage captured by security cameras at a border crossing Thursday morning showed Russian military vehicles entering from Crimea.
The Russian attacks began just minutes after President Vladimir V. Putin delivered a speech declaring the beginning of a military operation in Ukraine, and as the United Nations Security Council met in New York.
Keith Collins, Lazaro Gamio, Josh Holder, Scott Reinhard, Allison McCann, Agnes Chang, Pablo Robles and Marco Hernandez
Feb. 22, 2022
How Russian troops closed in on Ukraine
Since October, Russia has been building an enormous military force along Ukraine’s border, with as many as 190,000 troops in or near Ukraine, according to American and Ukrainian officials. The Russian troop presence has grown in recent weeks from scattered groupings parked at military bases and training grounds to battle-ready units arrayed in tactical formations. They appear prepared to attack Ukraine from three directions, according to military analysts: the north, east and south.
Here's where Russia has added forces during the current buildup:
1
Prior to current buildup
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Existing positions
POL.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Held by Russian-
backed forces
MOLDOVA
ROMANIA
CRIMEA
250 miles
2
Dec. 29
New military presence
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
3
Jan. 25
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
4
Feb. 20
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
In recent weeks, Russia has deployed the final components needed to conduct a large-scale military operation against Ukraine. The force includes fighter aircraft and attack helicopters, along with elite paratrooper units and special forces troops that would typically serve as the tip of the spear in any invasion plans, military experts say.
Troops deployed to the north in Belarus could quickly reach the capital, Kyiv, and Russian Naval forces in the Black Sea could menace Ukraine’s southern coast. Most military analysts and officials believe that any attack will begin with a heavy incursion into Ukraine’s east, in the vicinity of two breakaway territories that Russia has long supplied with troops and arms.
Josh Holder, Allison McCann, Scott Reinhard and Michael Schwirtz
Feb. 21, 2022
Donetsk and Luhansk: breakaway regions at the center of the conflict
President Vladimir V. Putin recognized the independence of two territories in eastern Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk, that are largely controlled by Russian-backed separatists. Shortly after, Russian troops were ordered into the area, a move that threatens to sharply escalate the conflict with Ukraine and could be a prelude to a broader invasion.
Belgorod
Detail area
Valuyki
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Boguchar
Poltava
RUSSIA
Claimed by separatists,
held by Ukraine
UKRAINE
Millerovo
Luhansk
Dnipro
Line of
contact
Held by
Russian-backed
separatists
Donetsk
Shakhty
Volgodonsk
Rostov-on-Don
Mariupol
50 miles
SEA OF
AZOV
Belgorod
Valuyki
Kharkiv
Boguchar
Claimed by
separatists,
held by Ukraine
UKRAINE
RUSSIA
Millerovo
Luhansk
Line of
contact
Held by
Russian-backed
separatists
Donetsk
Shakhty
Rostov-on-Don
Mariupol
Detail area
UKRAINE
50 miles
Korenovsk
Belgorod
Detail area
Kyiv
Valuyki
UKRAINE
Boguchar
Kharkiv
Poltava
RUSSIA
Claimed by separatists,
held by Ukraine
UKRAINE
Millerovo
Luhansk
Dnipro
Line of
contact
Held by
Russian-backed
separatists
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Volgodonsk
Shakhty
Rostov-on-Don
Mariupol
SEA OF
AZOV
50 miles
The separatist enclaves claim all of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions as their territory, but they control only about one-third of the area. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Putin would recognize the enclaves in their de facto borders or would seek to expand them by force.
Ukraine and the rest of the world view the enclaves as Ukrainian territory. The Russian-backed separatists in the region have been embroiled in a long-running conflict with Ukrainian forces.
See our full story on the two regions that might spark conflict.
Feb. 19, 2022
Shelling intensifies in Eastern Ukraine
Over the past several days, artillery barrages continued to target areas in east Ukraine. Shelling targeted the region around the town of Svitlodarsk — an area that includes key infrastructure such as a drinking water supply network and one of Europe’s largest fertilizer factories.
Russian military positions
Baranovichi
Asipovichy
Russia-Belarus
mock battle
Ukraine
BELARUS
Pochep
Klintsy
Brest
Luninets
RUSSIA
Klimovo
Rechytsa
Mazyr
Yelsk
POLAND
Kursk
Pogonovo
Vesyolaya Lopan
Kyiv
Lviv
Soloti
Boguchar
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Kremenchuk
Luhansk
Svitlodarsk
Dnipro
Artillery fire
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Kryvyi Rih
Persianovskiy
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
BLACK SEA
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
Novoozerne
Feodosia
100 miles
Yelnya
Minsk
Ukraine
Baranovichi
Russia-Belarus
mock battle
BELARUS
Pochep
RUSSIA
Mazyr
Kursk
POLAND
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Svitlodarsk
Dnipro
Artillery fire
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
200 miles
BLACK SEA
Ukraine
BELARUS
Baranovichi
RUSSIA
Russia-Belarus
mock battle
POL.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Svitlodarsk
Artillery
fire
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
BLACK SEA
200 miles
And at a military training ground in Baranovichi, Belarus, Russian and Belarusian forces conducted a mock battle in a joint exercise. The 10-day joint military exercises are scheduled to end on Sunday.
Feb. 19, 2022
Where Russia’s military is positioned around Ukraine
Russia strengthened its military presence around Ukraine in January and February, with new deployments of troops and military equipment in multiple locations, including Crimea, Belarus and near Eastern Ukraine, furthering fears of an imminent invasion.
Russian military positions as of Feb. 16
Yelnya
Minsk
Shchuchyn
Ukraine
Asipovichy
Baranovichi
BELARUS
Pochep
Klintsy
Brest
Klimovo
Rechytsa
RUSSIA
Mazyr
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Pogonovo
Vesyolaya Lopan
Kyiv
Lviv
Soloti
Boguchar
Kharkiv
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
Kremenchuk
Volgograd
Dnipro
Luhansk
HUNGARY
Kryvyi Rih
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Tiraspol
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
Novoozerne
SERBIA
Feodosia
BLACK SEA
Perevalnoye
Sevastopol
200 miles
Yelnya
Minsk
Ukraine
Shchuchyn
Baranovichi
BELARUS
Pochep
Brest
RUSSIA
Klintsy
Rechytsa
Mazyr
Yelsk
Kursk
Pogonovo
POLAND
Kyiv
Lviv
Soloti
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Boguchar
Kremenchuk
Luhansk
Dnipro
Kryvyi Rih
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Tiraspol
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
Novoozerne
Feodosia
Perevalnoye
Sevastopol
200 miles
BLACK SEA
Ukraine
Yelnya
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Brest
Klintsy
POL.
Yelsk
Pogonovo
Kyiv
Lviv
Soloti
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Dnipro
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
BLACK SEA
200 miles
Troops, tanks and heavy artillery have moved into positions that threaten to widen the conflict in Ukraine’s east and potentially open a new front on Ukraine’s northern border, closer to its capital, Kyiv. It provides a snapshot of current Russian positions. It is based on information obtained by Ukrainian and Western officials as well as independent military analysts and satellite imagery.
Feb. 15, 2022
Europe’s reliance on Russian gas could be reshaped
Europe relies on Russia’s natural gas to help heat millions of homes, generate electricity and power factories. With Russian troops massed along Ukraine’s border, the continent’s heavy dependence on Russia is limiting its diplomatic options and threatening to throw its energy supplies into turmoil.
Imports of gas from Russia to E.U. countries
Share of country’s natural gas imports from Russia, 2020
Finland
Sweden
Estonia
Russia
Latvia
Denmark
Gas exports
Lithuania
Ireland
Netherlands
U.K.
Poland
Germany
Czech
Rep.
Belgium
Arrow width proportional
to country’s total gas imports
from Russia.
Lux.
Slovakia
France
Hungary
Romania
Slovenia
Croatia
Italy
Bulgaria
Spain
Portugal
Greece
Cyprus
Finland
Sweden
Estonia
Russia
Latvia
Denmark
Lithuania
Gas exports
Poland
Ireland
Netherlands
U.K.
Germany
Czech
Rep.
Arrow width proportional to
country’s total gas imports
from Russia.
France
Hungary
Romania
Slovenia
Italy
Bulgaria
Spain
Greece
Cyprus
Finland
Sweden
Latvia
Gas imports
from Russia
U.K.
Poland
Germany
France
Hungary
Bulgaria
Italy
Spain
Greece
Arrow width proportional to country’s
total gas imports from Russia
If the flow of gas is interrupted, either as collateral damage from warfare or as a negotiating tactic by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, experts worry that already high prices in a constantly shifting global market could skyrocket. Businesses may be forced to close temporarily, and if cutoffs persist, households already facing higher utility bills this winter could feel even more pain.
See our full story on Europe’s reliance on Russian gas.
Notes on disputed areas shown on the maps
Crimea was invaded and annexed by Russia in 2014. The action was widely condemned under international law, and the territory remains disputed.
Eastern Ukraine has been in conflict since 2014 with fighting between the Ukrainian military and Russian-backed separatists. The dotted line in the eastern region of Ukraine shows the approximate dividing line between the two sides.
Transnistria, a Russian-backed breakaway region, lies on the eastern edge of Moldova.