Ukraine Fails to Halt Russian Advance Despite Heavy Losses in Donetsk
· World · Hindustan Times, Wall Street Journal
Russian forces have advanced just 46 square miles in Ukraine through October 2026, down from 1,874 square miles gained in all of 2025, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported over 54,000 Russian casualties in October, the highest monthly toll of the war. Ukraine's midrange drone campaign has degraded Russian supply lines behind the front, starving front-line troops of ammunition and reinforcements. Despite Moscow's pincer encirclement plan targeting Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka, Ukrainian forces repelled advances beyond Pokrovsk and launched a major counteroffensive called Operation Vivaldi in September.
Why it matters
Russian troops are bearing the war's heaviest monthly casualties, while Ukrainian fortified cities in Donetsk face renewed encirclement attempts after Moscow's failed pincer movement this year.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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