Ukraine-Russia war map: Where are Putin’s forces making gains on the frontline as 2025 begins?
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Russian forces are advancing in the east, slowly but surely, and they are shrinking Ukraine’s partial hold of the border region of Kursk. By the time February 2025 arrives, marking three years since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the situation on the front line could look very different.
![[Members of Ukraine’s Khyzhak Brigade prepare to fire a mortar at Russian troops on a front line near Toretsk]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/31/19/SEI234111724.jpg)
Currently, Russian forces are advancing in the east, slowly but surely, and they are shrinking Ukraine’s partial hold of the border region of Kursk. That the Russians haven’t been more successful is a testament, above all else, to the resilience of Ukraine’s troops on the ground, many of whom have been fighting continuously for years. Dysfunction in the Russian military, with Mr Putin as its de facto commander-in-chief, is another.
![[Ukrainian soldiers of Skala Battalion load anti-tank mines into an armoured vehicle near Pokrovsk]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/31/20/SEI234229988.jpg)
But US president Joe Biden has sent the final military package of his tenure to Ukraine, ending the support (for now) of Kyiv’s most heavily-armed ally. US president-elect Donald Trump will soon re-enter the White House on the promise of ending the fighting altogether, even if that potentially means rewarding Mr Putin for his illegal land grab.
Each inch of territory lost or gained could prove vital in future negotiations. Below, we look at the current flashpoints of the roughly 640-mile frontline. Ukraine captured a chunk of the Russian border region of Kursk after a daring cross-border attack in August. They have held onto some of that territory ever since, though advancing Russian forces are shrinking the Ukrainian-held zone.
