According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces seized 4,831 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in 2025, amounting to 0.8 percent of Ukraine’s land. An AFP analysis, however, reported that Russia captured more than 5,600 square kilometers, exceeding the gains of 2023 and 2024 combined. The average daily Russian rate of advance in 2025 was 13.24 square kilometers per day, ISW said. The largest monthly advance came in November, when Russian forces captured around 701 square kilometers, according to AFP, though a figure of about 630 square kilometers is derived from ISW's daily rate. The advance slowed in December to 244 square kilometers, the smallest monthly gain since March, AFP reported, though a rate of about 15 square kilometers per day derived from ISW data would amount to roughly 465 square kilometers for the month.
Russian forces suffered 416,570 casualties throughout 2025, according to the Ukrainian General Staff, averaging 78 casualties per square kilometer seized in Ukraine and Kursk Oblast. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Corriere Della Sera on March 3, as reported by Al Jazeera, that Russia is losing up to 35,000 people a month. According to Al Jazeera, Zelenskyy said that because of losses, Russia’s army “stopped growing. Losses equal the number of newly mobilised soldiers. They are close to a crisis.” Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko told Al Jazeera that lower recruitment numbers throughout Russia are key to Moscow’s losses, and that for three months, they have had nothing to create their reserves with.
At the UN, Russia criticized the 'actions taken by Washington and West Jerusalem.'
In Fall 2025, Russian forces began employing a new operational template relying on battlefield air interdiction, tactical interdiction, infiltration missions, and mass small group assaults, according to ISW. They began achieving battlefield air interdiction effects by using UAVs to interdict Ukrainian ground lines of communication in early Spring 2025. The Russian military proliferated elite drone operators of the Rubikon Center across the frontline in April and May 2025. Russian forces scaled production of fiber optic UAVs, increasing their range from roughly 7 km in early Spring 2025 to around 20 km in Summer 2025, and later extended the range to between 50 and 60 kilometers. They also introduced 'mothership' drones that can carry and extend the range of FPV drones. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi noted that Russia’s concentration of fiber optic drones with ranges over 20 km in the Siversk direction enabled Russia’s seizure of Siversk.
For the first time in almost three years, Kyiv began regaining some territory in early 2026, according to multiple reports. President Zelenskyy said the gains amounted to 460 square kilometers, or about 10 percent of what Kyiv lost to Moscow in 2025. The Institute for the Study of War said the gains were more modest – 257 square kilometers – but admitted that the porous front line and multiple grey areas complicate calculation. Almost the entire territory of Dnipropetrovsk has been liberated, according to Major General Oleksandr Komarenko. In Zaporizhia region, Ukrainian forces have regained nine towns since January. These counterattacks are generating tactical, operational and strategic effects that may disrupt Russia’s Spring-Summer 2026 offensive campaign plan, according to ISW. Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko told Al Jazeera that the gains are “tactical but very meaningful,” but noted that while Ukraine amassed some reserves to advance in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia, Russians keep pushing forward in key areas in Donetsk.
Russia noted that 'retaliation strikes' at U.S. military bases and activation of anti-aircraft systems caused damage to airports, high-rise buildings, and hotels in Gulf states.
Moscow’s inability to replenish its front-line losses is the main factor for Ukrainian gains, according to Zelenskyy. Ukraine faced mounting pressure throughout 2025 from sustained Russian bombardment and ground offensives, gradually ceding territory as its forces grappled with manpower and ammunition shortages, according to multiple reports. Russia currently occupies just under one-fifth of Ukraine and has demanded that Kyiv withdraw its forces from the eastern Donbas region as a condition for peace.
On 3 January 2026, the United States launched a military strike in Venezuela and captured incumbent President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to multiple reports. The operation began around 2 a.m. local time, when explosions were observed. US Armed Forces bombed infrastructure across northern Venezuela to suppress air defenses as an apprehension force attacked Maduro's compound in Caracas. Maduro and Flores were transported to New York City to face trial. If the operation is considered a military conflict, at 2 hours and 28 minutes it would qualify as one of the shortest wars in history. The US federal government announced that Maduro and Flores had been indicted on several charges related to narcoterrorism. They pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court on 5 January 2026.
Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodríguez denounced Maduro's kidnapping.
Venezuelan officials said at least 23 Venezuelan security officers were killed during the attack. The Cuban government said that 32 members of the Cuban military and intelligence agencies were killed. Officials in the UN, the US, and other countries, as well as international law experts, said the raid violated the UN Charter and Venezuela's sovereignty. US President Donald Trump and his administration justified the operation as a law-enforcement action, with military support, that the president has “inherent constitutional authority” to undertake. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez denounced Maduro's kidnapping.
The Venezuelan government remained in place, with Rodríguez sworn in as acting president on 5 January 2026. Multiple political prisoners, including foreigners, were released. On 30 January, Rodríguez announced an amnesty bill for political prisoners covering 1999 to present, which was approved on 19 February. As of 8 March, human rights organizations confirmed the release of 621 political prisoners out of an estimated over 800 held before January. By February, the US and Venezuela had restarted diplomatic relations, with the US Embassy in Caracas reopened for the first time since 2019. Trump and his administration made clear that access to Venezuelan oil was a core reason for the action. The US announced a 50-million-barrel oil supply deal with the remaining government, with the first $300 million already received on 20 January. On 29 January, a new law was passed to give private companies control over oil production and sale. In parallel, the US lifted sanctions on Venezuelan oil trade. Other reactions around the world included celebrations by the Venezuelan diaspora and protests against the attack.
Since the start of US-Israel military operations against Iran in February 2026, Russia and China have released statements in defense of Tehran, according to multiple reports. Moscow’s messaging has been incandescent, according to a Washington Institute analysis. Foreign Minister Lavrov called his counterparts in Iran and Qatar and pledged to convene a UN Security Council meeting. Russia’s Foreign Ministry decried the “propaganda preparations” and warned of potential humanitarian, economic, and radiological disaster on the day fighting began. At the UN, Russia criticized the “actions taken by Washington and West Jerusalem.” When Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed, the Kremlin mourned his loss and condemned “the practice of political assassination and manhunt for leaders of sovereign states.” Russia noted that “retaliation strikes” at US military bases and activation of anti-aircraft systems caused damage to airports, high-rise buildings, and hotels in Gulf states. Beijing did not publicly mention calls with regional officials until three days into the war, when Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with his counterparts in Iran and Oman. China’s statements have generally attempted to strike a balance between criticizing the United States and focusing on Middle East stability, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Washington Institute. Beijing’s initial Foreign Ministry statement noted that China was “highly concerned” and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. China condemned Khamenei’s killing as a violation of international law and warned of a return to “the law of the jungle.” Beijing put out several messages regarding lessons learned from the conflict, including a March 2 army statement that warned against a “blind faith in peace” and “the enemy within.” Russia and China’s public messaging reflects the disparity in their respective stakes in the Middle East, according to the Washington Institute. Moscow’s current foreign policy focus is overwhelmingly on Ukraine, while Russia has historical ties to Iran and stands to gain considerably after the war if the regime survives. China has deep economic and investment interests in the region.
The Russia-Ukraine war’s harshest winter has brought ceaseless pressure from Moscow along the front line and significant aerial attacks that have left millions of Ukrainians without power and heat, according to multiple reports. Russia currently occupies just under one-fifth of Ukraine and has demanded that Kyiv withdraw its forces from the eastern Donbas region as a condition for peace.
According to unnamed sources, a special unit is conducting a covert operation, and targets are being eliminated one by one. These are unverified allegations, and the exact nature and scope of this operation remain unknown.