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Timeline by Djordje Djukic
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| Map showing what parts of the claimed territory of the self-declared Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics - now claimed as part of Russia - are controlled by Russian forces and allies, compared to the Ukrainian government. Click to enlarge. Map by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic. Contact us for permission to use this map. |
Ukraine retakes towns amid slow-going counteroffensive
(The maps in this report show the situation as of October 9, 2023. Further territorial changes will be covered in an upcoming update.)
Between our previous Ukraine control map of August 2023 and early October, Ukrainian forces managed to secure control of some significant towns and other locations from their Russian opponents, despite Russia having gained more ground overall since the beginning of the year.
Ukraine's capture of Robotyne town in Zaporizhzhia province marked a small step in its efforts to break the Russian "land bridge" of territory connecting Crimea and Donetsk, the focus of Ukraine's much-hyped but ultimately bloody and anticlimactic 2023 counteroffensive.
Meanwhile, the northeastern town of Synkivka was restored to full Ukrainian control after being partly occupied by Russian forces, and Klischivka town, south of the small eastern city of Bakhmut, was captured by Ukraine. In the Black Sea, Ukraine brought the war to the Russian stronghold of Crimea, capturing offshore oil rigs and launching damaging attacks on Russia's navy in Sevastopol.
Timeline of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
The following is a chronology of changes to territorial control and other major events since our previous map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine dated to August 18, 2023.
Ukraine's administrative subdivisions are called "provinces" in our timeline, but it's also common to hear them referred to as "regions", or by the Ukrainian-language term, "oblast". Provinces have generally only been labeled by name on the above map when they're mentioned in the timeline but don't share their name with a major city that's already labeled.
 Full Country Name: • Ukraine (English) • Ukrayina (Ukrainian) Capital: Kyiv |
August 19, 2023
In the south, Ukrainian forces seized some positions on the eastern outskirts of Robotyne, a contested town in Zaporizhzhia province.
Meanwhile, US-supplied Stryker combat vehicles were used by Ukraine for the first time on the frontline, and a video emerged of a Russian drone strike on one of the vehicles. Russia claimed to have destroyed four Strykers. By November 11, seven Strykers would be visually confirmed destroyed, and two damaged (at least one of which would subsequently be abandoned).
August 20, 2023
In northern Ukraine, a Russian missile strike on Chernihiv hit a theater that was hosting drone manufacturers for a military event, killing seven people and wounding 144. Ukraine claimed the casualties were primarily civilians.
In the northeast, Russian forces advanced southeast of contested Synkivka.
In the south, Ukrainian troops advanced east of Robotyne, in an attempt to reach Russia's first defense line in the area.
August 21, 2023
In the northeast, Russian forces made new advances north and southeast of Synkivka.
In the east, Russian troops were repelled from retaking the heights north of Klischivka (see close-up map), while Ukrainian forces were repelled from advancing south of the town. The situation for Russian forces in Klischivka was deteriorating, but Ukrainian troops were also suffering heavy casualties in the fighting.
In the southeast, Ukrainian forces captured positions west of Staromaiorske (see close-up map).
In the south, Ukrainian troops seized the northern part of Robotyne, reaching the town’s center.
August 22, 2023
In the east, the deputy commander of Ukraine’s Volunteer Army, Col. Serhii Ilnytskyi, was killed in action in the Bakhmut area.
In the south, counterattacking Russian forces recaptured the center of Robotyne, as well as positions west of the town. Meanwhile, a Russian aircraft reportedly destroyed a Ukrainian naval reconnaissance vessel near Russian gas extraction facilities in the Black Sea.
August 23, 2023
In the south, Ukrainian forces captured the center of Robotyne, including the town hall.
Elsewhere, a Ukrainian drone strike hit a Russian military airbase in Russia’s Kaluga province, some 200 kilometers from the border with Ukraine (north of Bryansk - not shown on map). Another airbase had also been attacked on August 20, in Russia’s Novgorod province (not shown on map), much farther yet to the north. That attack left one Tu-22M long-range bomber destroyed.
A private jet carrying the leaders of the Wagner Group - officially a Russian private military contractor, but believed to have close ties to the Russian government - crashed north of Moscow, killing all 10 onboard, including seven passengers and three crew members. The Wagner group had staged a brief insurrection against the Russian government two months earlier, before abruptly standing down after reported Belarusian mediation.
Among the dead was the Wagner Group’s boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, as well as Dmitry Utkin, its top military commander. Also killed was Valery Chekalov, who had been in charge of Prigozhin’s business empire, including some assets in Syria such as oil investments. According to Russian president Vladimir Putin, grenade fragments were found in the bodies of those killed, suggesting an explosion from within the plane.
August 23-25, 2023
During this period, two Georgians and an Azerbaijani died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
August 24, 2023
In the east, Russian forces were determined to have previously captured some positions northeast of Horlivka, possibly in December 2022.
In the south, Russian artillery was hitting Ukrainian positions in the center of Robotyne, while fighting was also taking place to the east, close to Russia’s first defense line, with the Russian military successfully preventing Ukrainian forces from reaching the line.
August 25, 2023
In the south, heavy fighting was taking place in the southern outskirts of Robotyne.
August 26, 2023
In the east, over the past week, Ukrainian forces had broken through Russian lines at Klischivka (see close-up map), seizing half of the town. They had also made advances south of Klischivka.
August 27, 2023
In the southeast, Ukrainian forces made some advances in the no-man’s land southwest of Russian-held Pavlivka (see close-up map).
In the south, Ukrainian forces had continued for the past several days with their attempts to capture the southern part of Robotyne, but were facing heavy Russian artillery fire, while Russian reinforcements had arrived at the town. However, Ukrainian reinforcements had also arrived, and Ukrainian troops subsequently made significant gains east and southeast of Robotyne. In addition, further to the east, Ukrainian forces advanced west and northwest of Russian-held Verbove, crossing the first Russian defense line at one point before being beaten back.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian troops consolidated their control of a settlement on the left bank of the Dnieper River, at the southern end of the Kherson bridge opposite Kherson city, after several weeks of back-and-forth fighting at the Ukrainian bridgehead.
August 28, 2023
In the northeast, Russian forces made small advances in the forest northwest of Synkivka.
In the southeast, Ukrainian troops made advances west of Staromaiorske.
In the south, Ukrainian forces took full control of Robotyne, after several months of fighting to capture the town. The Ukrainian troops had managed to seize the southern part of Robotyne after capturing a strategic hill adjacent to the town.
August 29, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces recaptured some positions north of Avdiivka (see close-up map) and northwest of Horlivka.
In the south, Ukrainian forces made new advances southeast of Robotyne and west of Verbove, breaching the first Russian defense line and setting up a foothold beyond it. Still, Ukrainian troops were suffering heavy casualties, with estimates indicating there had been a dramatic increase in Ukrainian fatalities over the past few months, partially due to the Ukrainian military’s counter-offensive, with one soldier having said they were “dying by the dozens every day” at the start of the operation in early June. Elsewhere, Ukrainian troops conducted a raid across the Dnieper River northeast of Kherson before withdrawing again.
August 29-30, 2023
A Ukrainian drone strike hit a Russian airbase in the Russian city of Pskov, in the northwest of Russia (not shown on map). Ukraine claimed two cargo planes were destroyed and two damaged, while according to Russia, four cargo planes were damaged. Drones also struck targets in five other parts of Russia. The next evening, more Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia took place.
August 30-September 8, 2023
During this period, two Britons, two Colombians, and an American were confirmed to have died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. One of the Britons was suspected to have been murdered by fellow foreign volunteer fighters. His body would be found on September 16. Another British fighter, previously reported missing, was also thought to have been killed by his fellow fighters.
Meanwhile, it was confirmed that 11 Abkhazian fighters (from the Russia-backed breakaway state of Abkhazia, which claims independence from Georgia) had been killed fighting alongside Russian forces since the start of the invasion.
September 1, 2023
In the northeast, Russian forces recaptured some positions northwest of Karmazynivka (see close-up map). Ukrainian troops on the northeastern frontline were reported to be feeling demoralized, being overpowered by better-equipped and "fearless" Russian forces.
September 2, 2023
In the northeast, Russian forces advanced along several different axes in a forest southwest of Kreminna (see close-up map), though Ukrainian troops would recapture some of the positions four days later on September 6. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces advanced into a contested filtration plant southeast of Bilohorivka (see close-up map).
September 3, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces continued to advance within Klischivka, taking control of most of the town, while Russian troops regained positions north of it in a counterattack.
In the southeast, Ukrainian forces captured an industrial area north of Pavlivka.
In the south, Ukrainian forces again advanced west and northwest of Verbove, across the first Russian defense line, positioning themselves between the first and second line. The United States claimed they had also achieved “some success” against the second defense line which was said to be “quite strong”, contrary to other reports, and possibly to contain an extensive network of “labyrinths”. Elsewhere, Ukrainian troops made advances northwest of Piatykhatky, in Zaporizhzhia province, seizing 70 percent of a settlement on the bank of the Dnieper River.
September 4, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces advanced around a village south of Klischivka in an attempt to bypass it after failing to capture it directly. They also advanced south of a town between Vuhledar (see close-up map) and Marinka.
In the southeast, Ukrainian troops advanced south of Urozhaine (see close-up map), but their attacks further east along the frontline were repelled.
September 5, 2023
In the northeast, Russian forces made some advances northwest of Karmazynivka.
In the east, Ukrainian forces advanced south of Klischivka, capturing a large number of positions, although a subsequent Russian counterattack regained some of them.
It was confirmed that a first British-made Challenger tank had been destroyed in Ukraine by the Russian military. Another had been damaged and abandoned five days earlier.
September 7-10, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces made further gains at the village south of Klischivka, while Russian troops were slowly withdrawing from Klischivka itself. The next day, September 8, Ukrainian troops again advanced at the village, forcing Russian forces to withdraw from it, leaving it as a no-man’s land. On September 10, Ukrainian forces again advanced east of Vodyane (see close-up map) and southwest of Avdiivka, reaching the northern outskirts of a village there, with a Ukrainian official claiming their troops had captured part of it. However, it was subsequently confirmed that Russian forces were still in control of the village, and that the Ukrainian attack had been repelled. Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces recaptured a series of positions east of Vodyane and southwest of Avdiivka that they had previously lost. They made further advances in the area the following day, September 8. On September 10, Ukrainian troops continued advancing through Klischivka, and appeared to be on the verge of fully capturing the town.
September 7, 2023
In the east, Russian forces advanced along four streets in western Marinka, leaving only 20 percent of the town under Ukrainian control, with somewhat over 300 meters of urban area remaining for Russian troops to capture.
September 8, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces recaptured part of Pervomaiske (see close-up map).
In the southeast, Ukrainian forces advanced southeast of Velyka Novosilka, but heavy Russian artillery fire repelled further Ukrainian advances. Meanwhile, Russian troops recaptured territory west of Staromaiorske, forcing Ukrainian troops to retreat towards a lake.
In the south, Ukrainian forces made advances south and southeast of Robotyne, as well as west of Verbove, crossing a new section of the first Russian defense line.
By this point, around 15 German-made Leopard tanks supplied to Ukraine had been destroyed.
September 9, 2023
In the east, Russian forces withdrew from a completely destroyed village northeast of Yakovlivka (see close-up map).
In the south, Ukrainian forces captured several areas east and southeast of Robotyne. Meanwhile, Russian troops recaptured a series of positions north of Verbove. Elsewhere, they made small gains northwest of Piatykhatky.
September 10, 2023
In the east, Russian forces made small advances south of Berkhivka (see close-up map), north of Bakhmut. Meanwhile, two foreign aid workers, a Canadian and a Spaniard, were killed in a Russian missile attack near Bakhmut. Two more workers, a German and a Swede, were injured.
In the southeast, Ukrainian forces advanced southeast of Velyka Novosilka in an attempt to surround a Russian-held settlement there, but further advances were repelled.
September 11, 2023
In the south, Ukrainian forces continued advancing past the first Russian defense line towards Verbove, and were confirmed to have reached the second defense line, but to be having trouble consolidating their positions.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian commandos captured four gas and oil drilling rigs in the Black Sea, between Snake Island and Crimea, that had been under Russian control since 2015.
September 12, 2023
In the northeast, Russian forces advanced in a forest northwest of Synkivka.
In the east, Ukrainian forces advanced north of Soledar. Russian troops counterattacked south of Klischivka, regaining some of the positions they had lost on September 5, while Ukrainian forces were having trouble consolidating their positions in Klischivka, despite the Russian military withdrawing to the town’s northern outskirts.
In the south, Ukrainian forces were making only minimal advances south of Robotyne due to heavy Russian artillery fire.
September 13, 2023
In the east, Russian forces advanced north of Yakovlivka.
In the southeast, Ukrainian troops once again seized some of the positions west of Staromaiorske they had lost on September 8.
In the south, Ukrainian forces captured an island on the Dnieper River, west of Kherson. It would later be reported that both Russian and Ukrainian troops had been launching raids against the islands and opposite riverbanks in the area to distract each other’s forces from other frontlines.
September 13-14, 2023
A Ukrainian missile attack on the port of Sevastopol in Crimea damaged two vessels belonging to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet: the Russian landing ship Minsk and an attack submarine, the Rostov-na-Donu (B-237). Ukraine claimed both were damaged beyond repair, but Russia denied this and said they would indeed be repaired. Ukraine also claimed that 62 Russian Navy personnel were killed in the attack. The United Kingdom reported that the landing ship was “functionally destroyed” and that the submarine had “suffered catastrophic damage”. Subsequently, images emerged of the submarine suffering what was described as “critical damage”.
The next day, Ukraine claimed to have also hit and damaged the Russian missile ship Samum in Sevastopol and the patrol ship Sergey Kotov in the Black Sea with naval drones, further stating that the Sergey Kotov was possibly sunk. In the case of the Samum, Russia said the attack had been repelled, although images appeared to show the ship being towed.
September 14-19, 2023
During this period another five foreign fighters - of American, Azerbaijani, Georgian, German, and Colombian nationalities respectively - died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
September 14-16, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces were slowly advancing into the northern part of Klischivka, but still not able to enter the completely destroyed village south of the town that had been abandoned by Russian troops on September 8. The next day, the Ukrainian military did enter the village, taking control of it. The village was destroyed to the extent that a Ukrainian official stated “There is no Andriivka left per se...but as a place, as a square, it is an important square.” On September 16, Ukrainian troops took full control of Klischivka after three months of heavy fighting. They also advanced towards another Russian-held settlement south of the town. Overall, the Ukrainian military had captured 51 square kilometers (20 square miles) of territory around Bakhmut since the start of the counter-offensive in early June.
September 14, 2023
In the southeast, Ukrainian troops again made advances southeast of Velyka Novosilka.
September 15, 2023
In the south, Ukrainian forces made small advances west of Robotyne, while a new attack on Verbove was repelled.
 Country Short Name: • Russia (English) • Rossiya (Russian) Full Official Name: • Russian Federation (English) • Rossiyskaya Federatsiya (Russian) Capital: Moscow |
September 17, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces took control of a village on the western outskirts of Bakhmut that had been left as a no-man’s land since May, when it had been abandoned by the Ukrainian military.
In the south, Ukrainian troops made several advances in the area between two Russian defense lines west of Verbove before being halted at the second line.
September 18, 2023
In the northeast, Ukrainian forces recaptured a village northwest of Karmazynivka that they had lost at the end of July.
In the south, Ukrainian troops made a small advance south of their bridgehead at the Kherson bridge.
September 19, 2023
In the southeast, Russian forces recaptured some of the positions they had lost southeast of Velyka Novosilka on September 10.
September 19-October 10, 2023
A Russian drone strike on a Ukrainian military airbase near the city of Kryvyi Rih, well behind Ukrainian lines, damaged a MiG-29 fighter aircraft. Four days later, on September 23, another Russian attack on the airbase destroyed two other fighter aircraft, presumably of the MiG-29 or Su-25 models.
Subsequently, between September 25 and October 1, three Russian attacks on a military airbase near Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine, destroyed another three MiG-29s. One more drone strike took place on October 10, destroying a Su-25 fighter at another air base near Kryvyi Rih. These attacks were described as a part of a trend of Russian suicide drones targeting Ukrainian airfields.
September 20, 2023
In the northeast, Ukrainian forces were confirmed to be in control once again of the northern part of Synkivka.
In the east, Ukrainian troops made small advances north of Klischivka.
In the south, Ukrainian forces made small advances south of Robotyne and southwest of Verbove.
September 21, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces advanced southeast of Klischivka.
It was confirmed that the first two Swedish-made Strv122 tanks had been either damaged and abandoned or destroyed in Ukraine by the Russian military. This represented a fifth of all Swedish tanks sent to Ukraine.
September 22, 2023
Ukraine claimed to have killed 34 Russian officers in a missile strike on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea, including the commander of the fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov. However, Admiral Sokolov subsequently made more than one apparent public appearance, with Ukraine backtracking somewhat on its claim. Russia confirmed that one serviceman was missing following the attack.
September 23, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces advanced east of Siversk (see close-up map) and reached the outskirts of another settlement south of Klischivka. In addition, they once again advanced east of Vodyane and southwest of Avdiivka.
In the south, Ukrainian forces advanced southeast of Robotyne.
September 23-October 3, 2023
During this period, three Americans, three Russians, a Colombian, an Estonian, a Latvian, and a Moldovan died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. Since the start of the war, a total of 566 foreign citizens or foreign-born fighters had been killed fighting for one side or the other (for a complete list, see here).
September 24, 2023
By this point, 53 US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles supplied to Ukraine had been destroyed, damaged or abandoned.
The United Nations (UN) reported that at least 9,701 civilians had been killed since the start of the invasion, including at least 805 in territory controlled until October 2022 by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR). In addition, six civilians had been killed in Russian-controlled Crimea and two along the Ukrainian border inside Poland. The UN also cited information that 58 civilians had been killed within Russia itself as of June 30, 2023. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office reported that at least 10,749 civilians had been killed in Ukraine as of August 2.
September 26, 2023
It was confirmed that a first German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle had been destroyed in Ukraine by the Russian military. Another had been damaged and abandoned five days earlier.
September 27, 2023
In the east, Russian forces managed to recapture some territory northwest of Bakhmut that they had lost several months earlier. They also made a small advance west of Donetsk city.
In the southeast, Russian troops once again seized some of the positions west of Staromaiorske they had lost on September 13. By this point, it was reported that Russia's defensive line was “bending but not breaking”, as it was implementing an “elastic defense” tactic, which was proving effective against Ukraine.
September 28, 2023
In the northeast, practically all of the bridges along the Oskil River (not shown on map) that had been connecting Ukrainian forces on the Luhansk frontline with Kharkiv were reported to have been destroyed in Russian airstrikes since the summer.
In the east, Ukrainian forces recaptured some positions south of Marinka they had lost several months earlier. Four days later, they once again advanced in the area.
By this point, it was reported that since the start of the year, Russia had gained the most ground in the conflict, at 857 square kilometers (331 square miles), against Ukraine’s gains of 370 square kilometers (143 square miles), for a net Russian gain of 474 square kilometers (183 square miles). According to a report from September 19, Russia forces had gained 91 square kilometers (35 square miles) over the past month, while Ukrainian forces had taken 41 square kilometers (16 square miles).
October 1, 2023
In the east, Ukrainian forces made a small advance north of Klischivka.
October 2, 2023
In the east, Russian forces recaptured some positions northeast of Yakovlivka that they had lost almost a month earlier, while Ukrainian troops recaptured a series of positions south of Pervomaiske that they had lost several months earlier.
In the southeast, Russian forces made a small advance east of Urozhaine.
In the south, Russian troops recaptured some of the positions south of Robotyne that they had recently lost, while Ukrainian forces retook a series of positions north of Verbove that they had lost in September. The situation south of Robotyne was described by the pro-Ukraine Institute for the Study of War as unstable, tactically complicated, and dynamic, amid back-and-forth fighting, as Russian forces were conducting tactical counterattacks as part of their "deep defence".
October 3, 2023
In the southeast, Russian forces recaptured some positions west of Staromaiorske that they had lost in August.
October 4, 2023
In the northeast, Ukrainian forces recaptured the positions northwest of Synkivka that they had lost three weeks earlier.
In the south, a Russian counterattack recaptured some of the positions recently lost west and southwest of Verbove, between the first and second defense line and along the second defense line.
October 5, 2023
In the northeast, a Russian missile strike hit a cafe in a village in Kharkiv province, killing 59 people during a memorial to a fallen soldier. One Ukrainian serviceman was among the dead. Meanwhile, Russian forces made some advances northeast of Makiivka.
In the east, Russian troops advanced northeast of Yakovlivka.
October 6, 2023
Russian opposition news website Mediazona, in collaboration with the Russian-language service of BBC News, reported that they had documented the deaths of 33,904 Russian soldiers and military contractors since the start of the invasion, though they conservatively estimated that the real death toll could be 66,000. The figures included 8,901 private military contractors (presumably from the Wagner Group, PMC Redut, PMC Patriot, and several Gazprom-linked PMCs, and including inmates from Russian prisons), but did not include killed members of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) forces, which had been considered separate from the Russian military until the end of December 2022. The Russian-language service of the BBC estimated that at least 20,000 DPR and LPR soldiers had died, while 600 Russian servicemen and contractors were missing.
October 7, 2023
In the east, Russian forces made small advances north of Marinka, while they also captured some positions south of Avdiivka. Since October 2, the Russian military was reported to have recaptured 6.2 square kilometers (2.4 square miles) of territory throughout the front.
October 8, 2023
In the east, Russian forces continued advancing northeast of Yakovlivka.
In the south, Ukrainian troops made some advances northwest of Robotyne, after failing to advance to the south. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces expanded their bridgehead at the southern end of the Kherson bridge.
October 9, 2023
In the south, Ukrainian forces regained some of the positions northwest of Verbove that they had lost previously, but an attack towards the town was repelled.
By this point, Ukraine’s counter-offensive had cost the Ukrainian military hundreds of vehicles and “potentially” thousands of soldiers’ lives for their troops just to get within artillery range of Russian-held Tokmak town. Some Ukrainian brigades had had 50 percent of their vehicles damaged or destroyed, while at least one unit was reported to have suffered 85 percent casualties. Russian forces also suffered heavy casualties, with a minimum of 3,000 soldiers confirmed killed.
