Russian forces captured 14.57 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in Donetsk region last week, which is slightly lower than the week before last (17.98 square kilometers), while all other sectors of the front remain unchanged, the DeepState OSINT project reports.
The week before last, the last one in May, the Defense Forces liberated more than 8 square kilometers in Dnipropetrovsk region, and more than 40 square kilometers of previously occupied territories shifted into the so-called "penetration area" ("gray zone"). Meanwhile, a slight advance was recorded in Kharkiv region, and an increase in the penetration area occurred in Sumy region. In the first week of summer, the respective front sectors saw no changes.
In the north of Donetsk region, Russia's advance last week occurred mainly due to consolidating positions within the "gray zone," which subsequently shrank. Conversely, in the west of the region, the advance of Russian forces was accompanied by its expansion. Overall, the size of the penetration area remained almost unchanged last week (decreasing by 0.11 square kilometers).
Thus, according to DeepState data, the occupied area grew by an average of 2.1 square kilometers daily last week.
The week before last, the occupied area was decreasing due to counteroffensive actions by the Defense Forces.
As reported, in the final months of 2025, the average growth of the Russian occupied area fluctuated at a level of 8-14 square kilometers per day. At the end of January of the current year, 2026, it began to decline, and in mid-February, the Defense Forces began a gradual pushback of Russia in the Oleksandrivka direction in Dnipropetrovsk region and adjacent districts of Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions, which lasted for two weeks, and in the last week of February, the total occupied area even decreased for the first time since 2022. In March, the area of Russian occupation began to increase again. In April, the pace of Russia's advance was 4-5 square kilometers per day, in May – less than 3 with a downward trend, and finally, at the end of the month, the Defense Forces resumed pushing back Russia in the Oleksandrivka direction.
