Fighting has been ongoing in Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022. While Russian forces have made some progress in recent months, Ukrainian forces have now launched a counter-offensive into Russia.
In early August, Ukrainian troops surprised Russia by launching an attack across the border, advancing up to 18 miles (30km) into the Russian region of Kursk. This resulted in the evacuation of almost 200,000 people by the Russian government, and President Vladimir Putin condemned the offensive as a “major provocation”. After two weeks, Ukraine’s top commander claimed to have control over 1,200 sq km of Russian territory and 93 villages. The regions of Kursk and Belgorod have both declared a state of emergency. This counter-offensive is seen as an attempt to force Russia to redeploy units from the east and relieve pressure on the Ukrainian defences, as well as improve their chances of a peace settlement.
In May 2024, Russian forces crossed the international border to the north of Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv. This resulted in the seizure of several villages and the displacement of thousands of civilians. While Russia’s main offensive has been focused on the eastern Donetsk region, this was a significant ground assault that further stretched Ukraine’s front-line defences. During this time, the US was not supplying weapons to Ukraine due to a stalemate in Congress. However, this issue was resolved at the end of April when the US passed a $61bn aid package to provide missiles, artillery, and air-defence systems to the Ukrainian military. Despite repeated attacks from Russian warplanes, Kharkiv remains out of range of Russian artillery.
In the east, where the main front line is located, Russia has continued its offensive operations and has been slowly advancing since October 2023. This region has been contested since 2014 when Russian-backed fighters seized large portions of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russia’s main advantage is its manpower, and they have shown a willingness to sacrifice soldiers to gain a few meters at a time. In May and June, about 1,200 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded every day, the highest rate since the beginning of the war, according to Western officials. In recent days, Russian troops have made significant gains to the northwest of Donetsk and have claimed to have captured the small town of Niu-York. In response, Ukraine has ordered the evacuation of the city of Pokrovsk, with a local military official telling residents to seek shelter as Russian forces continue to advance.
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