Ukraine front line unchanged in July as Russian gains stay under 40 km²
Analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War shows that the front line in Ukraine moved only marginally during July. The Russian army advanced less than 40 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, while Ukrainian forces recaptured about 28.5 square kilometres. The limited Russian gains were recorded in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions, and there was no movement in the Kharkiv area.
The pace of the Russian advance has slowed dramatically compared with earlier in the conflict, when Moscow averaged roughly 405 square kilometres per month. In April and May, Russian forces lost control of about 403 square kilometres that they had previously held. Overall, Russian‑occupied territory now covers roughly 19 percent of Ukraine, including Crimea and parts of the industrial Donbas region.
These figures indicate that, despite ongoing fighting, the overall front line has remained largely static in July.
Entities: Donetsk region · Institute for the Study of War · Russia · Russian Armed Forces · Ukraine · Ukrainian Special Operations Forces · Zaporizhzhia region
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Ukrainian forces recaptured 28.5 square kilometres of territory in July. (Institute for the Study of War analysis)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Russian advance in July was about twelve times smaller than the average monthly advance in July 2025. (Institute for the Study of War analysis)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The front line in the Kharkiv region did not move during July. (Institute for the Study of War analysis)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Russian army advanced less than 40 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in July. (Institute for the Study of War analysis)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Russian‑occupied territory in Ukraine now covers roughly 19 percent of the country's area, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas region. (Institute for the Study of War analysis)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Ukrainian forces regained 28.5 km² of territory in the Dnipropetrovsk region. (Institute for the Study of War analysis)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Russian gains in July were mainly in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions. (Institute for the Study of War analysis)
- [● 3 SOURCES] In April and May, Russian forces lost control of about 403 square kilometres of previously held territory. (Institute for the Study of War analysis)