The pace of Russian troops’ advance in Ukraine has reached a historic low, becoming the slowest of any major military campaign in the last hundred years. Western and Ukrainian analysts compare the speed of the Russian offensive to the movement of a snail, emphasizing that despite huge losses, the Russian army has not achieved any significant territorial gains.
According to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and other independent sources, since the beginning of 2025, Russian forces have captured less than 1% of Ukraine’s territory — approximately 4,669–4,900 square kilometers. This represents approximately 0.77–0.8% of the country’s total area. For comparison, at the end of 2024, the weekly rate of capture reached 125 square kilometers, but now it has fallen several times over.
Journalists from The Wall Street Journal note that the current pace of Russian troops’ advance is slower than in the Battle of the Somme during World War I, where the Allies advanced about 80 meters per day. Ukrainian military experts and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi report that in some areas, the enemy is advancing less than 5 km per month, losing more than a thousand soldiers every day.
Experts emphasize that the Russian army relies on “meat assault” tactics and small infantry groups, avoiding the widespread use of armored vehicles due to effective Ukrainian defenses using drones and artillery. This leads to huge losses — according to estimates, Russia has lost more than 391,000 military personnel killed and wounded since the beginning of the year.
At the same time, Russian propaganda and official statements attempt to portray the situation as an “inevitable victory,” but the actual data suggests otherwise. Western military analysts, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), conclude that a breakthrough is not expected, and the pace of the offensive remains “slow” even in areas of local success.
The Ukrainian side continues to hold key positions, striking Russian rear areas and infrastructure. The situation on the front lines remains tense, but the pace of Russian advances confirms that the war has turned into a grueling war of attrition, where defensive efficiency plays a decisive role.