Mapping Russia's war on Ukraine
Live maps of territorial control provide an up-to-date overview of the situation on the ground
Cover photo: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks past destroyed vehicles in the town of Bucha, shortly after it was liberated from occupying Russian forces. Credit: Oleksandr Ratushniak
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale, multi-pronged invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Russian leaders, including president Vladimir Putin, anticipated a quick and decisive victory. Instead, the invasion forces encountered stiff resistance from Ukrainian troops determined to defend their homeland.
Following a failed bid to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the early days of the invasion, Russian forces moved to consolidate their remaining forces in the east, where they remain entrenched today. With no clear resolution on the horizon, the war has ballooned into the largest and most destructive conflict in Europe since the Second World War. Continue scrolling to see a breakdown of the current territories of control.
The big picture
This map, which is updated daily, reflects the current situation on the ground. Ukrainian territory under Russian control is highlighted in red, while the blue areas denote previously occupied territory recently reclaimed by Ukrainian forces. Hatched gray areas (///) represent sites of heightened Ukranian partisan activity behind the front lines.
Finally, hatched blue areas (///) represent Russian territory under Ukrainian control, while hatched red areas (///) correspond to Russian territory reclaimed by Russian forces.
The underlying map data is maintained by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a DC-based think tank that has been closely monitoring the conflict since it began in February 2022.
Russian-controlled territory before February 24, 2022
Russia's brazen incursion into Ukraine is not without precedent: In February 2014, Russian troops wearing unmarked uniforms seized control of the , which Russia then annexed.
Months later, Russian military forces once again swept across the border, this time to bolster an insurrection in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. After more than 10 years of grueling fighting, Russia still occupies large portions of and .
Occupied Ukrainian territory
In late September 2022, as the Russian invasion continued to falter, the Kremlin announced the unilateral annexation of four additional Ukrainian provinces: , , , and .
However, Russian forces have failed to capture these provinces in their entirety. As a result, claims of Russian sovereignty are not only illegitimate, but also largely unenforceable. This map shows the approximate extent of Russian military presence in Ukraine today.
Recent Russian advances
Although Russia's offensive campaign stalled within weeks of the initial invasion, Russian forces have made marginal but continual advances along the front lines in the east. These unverified Russian advances are highlighted on this map in dark red.
Recent Ukrainian counteroffensives
Ukrainian forces, emboldened by their victories during the early stages of the invasion (including the successful defense of Kyiv), have not resigned to fighting a defensive war.
In early September 2022, Ukrainian forces launched a lightning counteroffensive in the east, swiftly reversing recent Russian gains in and . And in June 2023, Ukrainian forces—bolstered by the arrival of heavy equipment supplied by Western allies—began a long-awaited assault on Russian positions concentrated in and .
Ukrainian progress has been hindered by an extensive network of Russian , which include minefields, tank traps, and trenches.
Ukraine's diversionary incursion into Russia
To relieve pressure on its beleaguered troops in the south, in August 2024 Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast.
While Russian forces have since reclaimed parts of the occupied Russian territory (shown in red hatching here), Ukrainian forces have retained control of a sizable area, including several Russian towns and border crossings (blue hatching).
Partisan actions behind the front lines
Meanwhile, Ukrainian partisans continue to stage attacks on Russian troops and materiel stationed in occupied cities.
These partisan attacks, while typically limited in scale, aim to degrade Russian morale and combat effectiveness, and to siphon Russian resources away from key combat zones along the line of contact.
Putting the pieces together
These maps of territorial control don't tell the full story of the conflict—they never will. But they do capture in broad geographic strokes the current dynamics of the war: As momentum shifts from one side to the other, territorial gains and losses are made manifest on the map.
And because ISW updates the data every day, these maps will remain current as the conflict continues to evolve.
About this story
This story was made with ArcGIS StoryMaps , using data provided and maintained by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). See ISW’s interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the link below:
To learn more about ISW's ongoing work to monitor conflict in Ukraine and elsewhere, visit their website: