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Ukraine war in maps: Tracking the Russian invasion Ukraine war in maps: Tracking the Russian invasion
(25 days later)
Heavy fighting continues in east Ukraine, with Russia slowly pushing forwards in key locations. Ukraine is stepping up its operations to recapture occupied territory as Russian forces continue attempts to advance in the east.
Here are the latest developments:Here are the latest developments:
Russian forces have taken control over eastern city of Lysychansk Ukrainian forces attempting to retake southern city of Kherson
Russian troops now control the entire region of Luhansk Russian troops there are "virtually cut off" after bridge attack
Ukrainian positions in the south have come under heavy shelling In the east, Russian forces are trying to advance in Donetsk
Russia troops have withdrawn from Snake Island in the Black Sea Ukraine's second largest power station reportedly captured
Russia pushing forward Meanwhile, work to resume grain exports from Odesa is underway
Over the weekend Russia captured the city of Lysychansk and now controls the whole Luhansk region. Ukraine on offensive in south
Ukrainian forces confirmed that they had withdrawn from Lysychansk on Sunday. A counter-offensive by Ukrainian troops in the south of the country is "gathering momentum" around the occupied city of Kherson, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Russia's latest advance follows the recent capture of the nearby town of Severodonetsk. Ukraine's forces have been using new long-range artillery to target bridges across the Dnipro River and the MoD said that two recent attacks on the Antonivskiy Bridge in Kherson have left Russian troops "virtually cut off".
The territory mapped below by the Institute for the Study of War was accurate as of information from 3 July. Kherson was the first city in Ukraine to be taken by Russian forces after their invasion in February. The MoD said its loss would "severely undermine Russia's attempts to paint the occupation as a success".
President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged that Ukrainian forces will return to retake Lysychansk "thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons". In the southern port of Odesa, which has remained under Ukrainian control throughout the conflict, officials have said they are working to resume grain exports after an agreement was reached with Russia last week.
Under the deal, Russia agreed not to target ports while grain was in transit, while Ukraine pledged to guide cargo ships through waters that have been mined.
However, the agreement was thrown into chaos less than 24 hours after the deal was signed, when two Russian missiles targeted the port in Odesa.
Russia edging forward in east
Russian officials have said their forces are fighting for the "complete liberation" of the Donbas, which broadly refers to Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russian-backed separatists held significant territory before the invasion.Russian officials have said their forces are fighting for the "complete liberation" of the Donbas, which broadly refers to Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russian-backed separatists held significant territory before the invasion.
Following the capture of Lysychansk and the Luhansk region, "Russia's focus will now almost certainly switch to capturing [the region of] Donetsk" according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). Russian forces now control all of the Luhansk region and they are continuing to make small advances in the Donetsk region.
Further west, Ukrainian forces are continuing to hold back Russian attacks towards Slovyansk from the direction of Izyum, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Having captured the strategically important cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in recent weeks, Russian troops are now focussing the efforts in the region on the nearby cities of Siversk and Bakhmut.
Russian forces have seen big losses The Russians say they have now taken control of Ukraine's second-largest power station in the nearby town of Svitlodarsk. Seizing the Soviet-era coal-fired Vuhlehirsk plant would be the first strategic gain for Russian forces in more than three weeks.
Russian forces have suffered heavy losses since the invasion began. But the offensives in this area are the only operations that the Russians appear able to sustain in Ukraine at the moment, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), with their resources stretched by the Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kherson and another around Izyum.
The MoD says Russia is likely to have suffered devastating losses among its middle and junior ranking officers. It says these losses are likely to contribute to a loss of morale and poor discipline among lower ranks. Western weapons boost Ukraine
Significant quantities of Russian weaponry have also been destroyed. President Volodomyr Zelensky has called on Western countries to send Ukraine more weapons, telling a recent meeting of Nato that his forces needed "much more modern systems" to help them "break the Russian artillery advantage".
As a result, Russia has tried to combine some heavily depleted units, forming what some analysts have called 'Frankenstein forces' to fight in the east. Several Western shipments of heavy weaponry - such as US multiple rocket launch systems - have made it to the front line in recent weeks, allowing Ukraine to attack from greater range.
Further north, Russian units are vying for control of positions north of Kharkiv and attempting to protect ground lines of communication to the Donbas, according to the ISW. Retired British Army officer General Sir Richard Barrons told the BBC that he had no doubt that the arrival of "some Western weapons has made a difference" to the Ukrainian side.
Ukrainian military officials have stated that they intend to use the US-provided Himars rocket artillery systems in the area to target these lines of communication. He said Ukraine's new longer-range weapons had forced Russia to "reorganise how they operate" but he warned that there was "still a long way to go" in the conflict.
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Russia targets full control of south
Russian forces initially made rapid gains in the south, with their main objective being the creation of a land corridor between Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and areas held by Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk.
But strong resistance from Ukrainian forces near Mykolaiv in the west and in Mariupol significantly slowed Russian advances.
Russia is now fully in control of the port city of Mariupol, after a siege lasting more than two months came to an end on 20 May.
Russian troops have continued to shell Ukrainian positions across the southern regions of Zaporizhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk.
According to the ISW, Russia's current priority in the south is to halt Ukrainian counterattacks, which have succeeded in regaining some territory in recent weeks.
To the west, Russia had aimed to take control of Odesa and cut off Ukraine's access to the Black Sea, but its forces were blocked by a staunch defence in Mykolaiv and forced back towards Kherson by a Ukrainian counteroffensive in March.
Russia was initially successful in holding on to Snake Island in the Black Sea and using air defences stationed there to protect Russian naval vessels blockading the Ukrainian coast and hindering Ukraine's maritime trade.
However, Russia announced the withdrawal of its forces from the island on 30 June. Ukraine said Russian troops had been forced out by successful artillery strikes. Russia said the withdrawal was a "gesture of goodwill."
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, but Ukrainian forces retook large areas around Kyiv in early April after Russia abandoned its push towards the capital.Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, but Ukrainian forces retook large areas around Kyiv in early April after Russia abandoned its push towards the capital.
Areas in the west of the country, including Lviv, have seen missile attacks but no attempt by Russian forces to take and occupy ground.Areas in the west of the country, including Lviv, have seen missile attacks but no attempt by Russian forces to take and occupy ground.
The Russians have suffered heavy losses since the invasion began and significant quantities of Russian weaponry have also been destroyed or captured.
By David Brown, Bella Hurrell, Dominic Bailey, Mike Hills, Lucy Rodgers, Paul Sargeant, Alison Trowsdale, Tural Ahmedzade, Mark Bryson, Zoe Bartholomew, Sean Willmott, Sana Dionysiou, Joy Roxas, Gerry Fletcher, Jana Tauschinsk, Debie Loizou, Simon Martin and Prina Shah.By David Brown, Bella Hurrell, Dominic Bailey, Mike Hills, Lucy Rodgers, Paul Sargeant, Alison Trowsdale, Tural Ahmedzade, Mark Bryson, Zoe Bartholomew, Sean Willmott, Sana Dionysiou, Joy Roxas, Gerry Fletcher, Jana Tauschinsk, Debie Loizou, Simon Martin and Prina Shah.
About these mapsAbout these maps
To indicate which parts of Ukraine are under control by Russian troops we are using daily assessments published by the Institute for the Study of War with the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project.To indicate which parts of Ukraine are under control by Russian troops we are using daily assessments published by the Institute for the Study of War with the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project.
To show key areas where advances are taking place we are also using daily updates from the UK Ministry of Defence and BBC research.To show key areas where advances are taking place we are also using daily updates from the UK Ministry of Defence and BBC research.
The situation in Ukraine is fast moving and it is likely there will be times when there have been changes not reflected in the maps.The situation in Ukraine is fast moving and it is likely there will be times when there have been changes not reflected in the maps.