DeepState: Russia captured 27% more territory in March than in Feb, at 160 sq km
Russian occupation forces captured 27% more territory in March than in February, taking 160 square kilometers, and if the pace set over the first three months of 2026 continues, Russian forces could occupy Donetsk region by December 2029, the DeepState OSINT project said.
"In March, the enemy occupied 27% more territory than in February – 160 square kilometers. At the same time, it cannot be said that there were significantly fewer attacks – the difference is only 2%, but it is noticeable that the scale and quality of the attacks have increased," DeepState said on Telegram on Wednesday.
According to the report, the largest share of assault actions traditionally fell on Pokrovsk sector at 29%, with another 20% on Kostiantynivka sector and 19% on Huliaipole sector. Together, those three sectors accounted for two-thirds of all assaults.
"The largest gains came on Huliaipole sector and accounted for 24%, which correlates with the rise in enemy activity in March. Next came Sloviansk and Pokrovsk sectors, with 19% and 15% respectively. The first sector, however, is seeing a sharp decline. There are also problems on the so-called Kursk sector, which includes the border areas of Sumy region, and here 13% of all territorial losses occurred, even though only 2% of all assaults took place there," the analysts said.
"If the current pace of advance seen over the first three months of this year is maintained, the Russians will be able to occupy Donetsk region in December 2029. It is a numbers game, but there is some truth in it. For example, to achieve the goal they declare of seizing the region in 2026, they would need to occupy more than 600 square kilometers of Donetsk region every month. And such figures have been seen only once in recent years, in the hardest month for us – November 2024," the experts said.
