The progress of Russian forces in Ukraine remains stable in October, and the eastern Donetsk region remains the most threatened, according to an analysis by Agence France-Presse based on data provided by the American Institute for the Study of War (IWW), which works in conjunction with the Critical Threats Project (CTP), BTA reports.
This area is where most of the fighting is concentrated and the city of Pokrovsk is located - an important logistics center for Ukrainian forces, which could fall under Russian control in the coming days.
Within a month, Russia has captured 461 sq. km of Ukraine - slightly more than the 447 sq. km conquered in September. This number is close to the average for 2025, after a peak in July, when the Russian army took control of 634 sq km of the neighboring country's territory.
By the end of October, Russian forces controlled 19.2% of Ukrainian territory in whole or in part. About 7% of this, including Crimea and areas in Donbas, had been under Russian control since before the invasion in February 2022.
The greatest progress in October was recorded in Donetsk Oblast, where 169 sq km were captured, or an average of 5.5 sq km per day. As of October 31, Russia controls 81% of the region, as well as almost all of the neighboring Luhansk region.
In recent weeks, Russian forces have stepped up pressure in several areas of this part of the Donbass industrial and mining region.
In particular, they have seized territory in the Ukrainian-fortified Pokrovsk, putting the local garrison and the one in the neighboring city of Mirnograd at risk of encirclement. The agglomeration of the two cities had a population of 100,000 before the war began.
The Ukrainian army has announced an operation to stop the Russian advance. Ukrainian forces announced on the Telegram app today that the "active clearing of the northern part of Pokrovsk" continues while the situation in Mirnograd is "tense, but does not pose a threat".
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the Dnipropetrovsk region of central Ukraine, where Russian troops entered this summer, they have captured 150 sq. km in a month.