Russian forces are continuing to focus their attacks on the east of the country but resistance from Ukrainian troops is slowing their progress.
Here are the latest developments:
- After 10 weeks, invading Russian troops still haven’t taken control of any major cities
- Fighting is most intense around the eastern city of Izyum, but the Russians are making little progress
- Strong Ukrainian defences in Donbas region are holding for now
- Russian troops now face counter-attacks from Ukrainian forces around Kharkiv
- Efforts continue to try to rescue civilians trapped in the Mariupol factory
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, but its forces withdrew from around the capital Kyiv and surrounding regions to Belarus and western Russia in early April.
Russia has since refocused its efforts on taking control of the east and south of Ukraine.
Russia targets full control of south
Russian forces initially made rapid gains in the south, with their main objective being the creation of a land corridor between Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and areas held by Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk.
But strong resistance from Ukrainian forces near Mykolaiv in the west and in Mariupol in the east significantly slowed Russian advances.
The port city of Mariupol, which has been encircled since the start of March, is now mostly under the control of Russian forces – and they are now concentrating their attacks on the Azovstal steel plant in the south of the city.
Russian forces have stormed the plant and the Ukrainian fighters holding out inside are losing ground, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Several hundred civilians have been evacuated from the steel plant in recent days but Russian forces have continued their aerial bombardment.
The UN’s humanitarian chief says efforts are continuing to get the remaining civilians to safety.
To the west, Russia has been attempting to push towards Odesa, with the aim of cutting off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea. But their advances stalled at Mykolaiv, and they are reported to have been pushed back by Ukrainian troops.
Russian officials have said the objective is still to take control of all of southern Ukraine and establish a land corridor with Transnistria – a breakaway part of Moldova where Russian troops are already based.
There have been a series of explosions in Transnistria recently, which the Russian-backed government has blamed on Ukraine. However, Ukraine has claimed these are so-called “false flag” operations – an attempt by Russia to destabilise the region and spread the conflict.
Fighting intensifying in the east
Russian officials have said its forces are fighting for the “complete liberation” of the Donbas, which broadly refers to Ukraine’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russian-backed separatists held significant territory before the invasion.
Russian forces appear to have stalled to the south of Izyum, according to the ISW, with Ukrainian troops managing to repel any attempted advances so far.
Ukrainian defences in the region have been in place since fighting began there in 2014 and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) says Russian forces have failed to build much momentum.
A successful counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces around the city of Kharkiv, to the north west of Izyum, could also hamper Russian operations in the Donbas region in the coming weeks, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
War in Ukraine: More coverage
- LIVE: Mariupol rescue under way
- KYIV: Ukrainian villages haunted by the vanished
- ENERGY: EU divided over how to step away from Russian energy
- WATCH: The southern villages holding back the Russians
- READ MORE: Full coverage of the crisis
North retaken after Russian retreat
Ukrainian forces retook large areas around Kyiv in early April after Russia abandoned its push towards Kyiv, which had begun in the first days of its invasion.
Successful counterattacks by Ukrainian forces helped retake areas around Kyiv and, as the Russians withdrew, the Ukrainians were able to advance all the way to their northern borders with Belarus and western Russia.
The MoD says large-scale military drills are taking place in Belarus and it seems likely Russia will “seek to inflate the threat posed to Ukraine” by these forces to focus the attention of Ukrainian troops on the north rather than the Donbas.
About these maps
To indicate which parts of Ukraine are under control by Russian troops we are using daily assessments published by the Institute for the Study of War with the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project.
To show key areas where advances are taking place we are also using daily updates from the UK Ministry of Defence and BBC research.
The situation in Ukraine is fast moving and it is likely there will be times when there have been changes not reflected in the maps.
