Russia's invasion forces have advanced at a faster pace in Ukraine as spring has given way to summer, reports AFP, which has assessed data from the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Russian forces took control of an additional 507 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in May. This can be compared to 379 square kilometers in April and 240 in March.
This has primarily occurred in areas in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a region that Russia already controls to a large extent.
Russia controlled nearly a fifth of Ukraine's area – calculated at 19 percent – by the end of May, including areas in Donbass in the east and the annexed Crimean Peninsula, which was already under Russian control before the large-scale invasion that began in 2022.
