The figures are based on data from the US-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). They include areas that Kyiv and military analysts say are controlled by Russia, as well as areas the Russian army says it controls.
That's more territory than Russia had conquered in the previous two years combined, but significantly less than the 60,000 square kilometers it captured in the first year of the large-scale invasion in 2022.
The main advances last year were made by Russia in November, when 701 square kilometers were captured. Ukraine came under high pressure in 2025, both from recurring air attacks on cities and infrastructure and on the battlefield, where the country's armed forces were forced to give up territory.
