- Drafting
- BBC News World
image source, Environmental Protection Agency
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that 20% of his country’s territory is currently under Russian control.
In an intervention before the Luxembourg Parliament, Zelensky appreciated itThe Russian forces control about 125,000 square kilometers of territory Ukrainianincluding Crimea and the eastern parts of the country that Russia annexed in 2014.
According to the Ukrainian president, the current border between the two countries extends more than 1,000 kilometers.
The Russians also control most of Severodonetsk, which, if they were able to capture the entire city, would have almost the entire Luhansk region under their control.
Russian advance in Luhansk
image source, Reuters
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggested that a possible withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Severodonetsk would be “strategically logical” because the city’s loss would be “mostly symbolic”.
To the north, Ukraine has managed to drive Russian forces out of Kharkiv, although the city is still under bombardment.
It is estimated that at least 12 million people in Ukraine have been forced from their homes since the conflict began on February 24.
According to Zelensky, at least five million people have left the country, most of them women and children.
The United Nations estimates the number of displaced at about 15 million.
Zelensky also noted that the number of military losses for Russian forces exceeds 30,000, which is more than the total number of Soviet casualties during the war in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989, and the two wars in Chechnya between 1994 and 2000.
Russia, for its part, has reported 1,300 deaths in Ukraine.
Remember that You can receive notifications from the BBC World. Download and activate the new version of our app so you don’t miss our best content.