Russian army slows advance, but continues to suffer significant losses - ISW

Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) note that, despite the advance of russian troops in Ukraine, their pace has slowed, and losses remain at a high level.

In January 2025, the occupiers lost 48,240 people - more than three motorized rifle divisions, making the month the second in terms of losses after the start of the full-scale invasion.

According to ISW geolocation data, in January, russian troops advanced 498 square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine and the Kursk Oblast, which is approximately 16.1 square kilometers per day. At the same time, for each square kilometer of captured territory, about 96 soldiers were lost.

In December 2024, the occupiers suffered 48,670 people, which is a record monthly figure. Then they captured 593 square kilometers of territory.

“The reduction in the captured territory by approximately 100 square kilometers between December and January, while maintaining a high level of casualties, indicates that russian forces are suffering significant losses, even with less territorial progress,” the ISW report says.

The analysts also recalled that the pace of the russian offensive began to decline in November 2024.

“The russian command suffered record losses from September to November 2024 for the sake of territorial gains, but it is unclear whether it will be ready to suffer the same losses if the troops approach fortified settlements, such as Pokrovsk,” the ISW notes.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, as a result of hostilities in the Pokrovsk Axis, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated about 7,000 soldiers of the russian army during January this year.

The command of one of the armies of the russian armed forces is forcing soldiers to return to the front, preventing them from fully recovering from their injuries.