Russia captured half as much territory in September as it did in August, with the pace of its offensive slowing for a second straight month. Ukrainian fortifications have halted advances on key axes.
Ukraine has managed to stabilize parts of the front: new defensive lines and fortified areas have stopped Russia’s push on key approaches. According to the OSINT project DeepState, in September the Russian army seized just 225 square kilometers—nearly half of August’s 455 square kilometers, the news outlet Agentstvo reported.
Military analysts say the slowdown is tied to new Ukrainian defensive works built in late 2024. The line features dozens of small strongpoints, trenches and barbed-wire obstacles. Experts emphasize that these fortifications in Donetsk region blocked Russia from building on gains toward Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka.
Moscow’s “infiltration” tactics with small assault groups have not produced operational breakthroughs.
“At the moment, there are no conditions for a meaningful shift in the situation in favor of Russia’s Armed Forces,” analyst Kirill Mikhailov said.
He noted that Russian troops retained momentum only in the Lyman sector and near the border of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, where they rely on numerical superiority.
Data indicate the pace of Russia’s offensive has been steadily declining since the start of the year. A stabilized front and Ukrainian defensive lines are turning Russia’s advance into a grinding fight without strategic payoff.
