Ukraine in Maps: Tracking Three Years of War as Russia Grinds Forward

Image Credentials: Image Title: Ukraine in Maps: Tracking Three Years of War as Russia Grinds Forward Source: (Sora.ChatGPT) Date: September 2025. Attribution: Created using AI-generated imagery (Sora.ChatGPT), this does not depict a real-world scene.

By Staff Writer | Open Chronicle

Three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine remains deadlocked with no diplomatic solution in sight. Despite recent high-level summits involving US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, fighting continues to rage across multiple fronts with significant civilian casualties and territorial shifts.

Eastern Front: Russia’s Slow but Steady Advance

Russian forces have continued their methodical advance across the open fields of the Donbas region, gradually expanding control in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. The summer offensive initially progressed slowly until Russian troops made a sudden breakthrough near Pokrovsk, advancing 10km (6 miles) in a short period and creating concerns about the potential encirclement of Ukrainian defenders.

The nearby town of Chasiv Yar has become a focal point of the fighting. Though Ukraine denies Russian claims of its capture, analysts warn that its fall would allow Russia to target major Donetsk cities still under Ukrainian control, including Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) notes that Russia’s reduced casualty rates despite these advances likely reflect increased effectiveness of drone warfare. A devastating drone attack on Yarova on September 9 killed over 20 civilians waiting to collect pensions, highlighting the continued toll on non-combatants.

Northern Front: The Battle for Kharkiv

In May 2024, Russia opened a new front north of Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, seizing several border villages and displacing thousands of civilians. Recent analysis shows Russian advances near Vovchansk and Lyptsi as Moscow attempts to create a buffer zone within artillery range of Kharkiv.

This move came in response to Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in the summer of 2024, where Ukrainian forces captured territory before being pushed back with North Korean assistance. The northern front has since devolved into fighting over small border villages that frequently change hands.

Strategic Strikes and Economic Dimensions

Ukraine has demonstrated the capability to strike deep inside Russia, using 100 drones to target nuclear-capable bombers at air bases across five Russian regions. Kyiv claims these attacks inflicted $7 billion in damage, though independent verification remains difficult.

In late April, the US and Ukraine signed a significant minerals agreement, creating a framework for sharing profits from Ukraine’s mineral and energy resources. This deal aims to provide economic incentives for continued US military support and establish an investment fund for postwar reconstruction.

Diplomatic Efforts Stall

President Trump’s diplomatic push, including summits with Putin in Alaska and subsequent meetings with Zelensky and European leaders, has yielded no breakthrough. Trump has suggested territorial swaps as part of a potential deal, echoing Putin’s demand for Ukrainian surrender of the Donbas, which Zelensky has consistently rejected.

While Trump hasn’t ruled out U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, the Kremlin has downplayed the prospects of direct talks between Putin and Zelensky. A September deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire passed without resolution, leading Trump to threaten additional tariffs on Russian oil exports.

Three Years of Devastation

The conflict began on February 24, 2022, with missile strikes across Ukraine and rapid Russian advances that reached Kyiv’s suburbs. Though Russian forces initially captured significant territory, they faced fierce resistance and logistical problems, eventually withdrawing from northern Ukraine by October 2022.

Ukrainian forces recaptured Kherson in November 2022, but the war has since evolved into a grueling battle of attrition in the east. Western estimates suggest 165,000-235,000 Russian personnel have been killed, while Ukraine acknowledged 43,000 military deaths in December 2024, a figure analysts believe understates true losses.

As the conflict enters its fourth year, both sides continue to employ increasingly sophisticated drone technology. At the same time, civilians pay the price in what has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

*Map data source: Institute for the Study of War with the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project