Over the three years since Russia launched a large-scale invasion, Ukraine has lost territories and managed to regain some of them, thanks to the military assistance provided by its Western allies. Here is how Ukraine looks now after 1,079 days of conflict.
Since the outbreak of the war, Ukraine has lost a significant amount of territory, and millions of people have fled from the Russian troops. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and injured.
What Ukraine has Lost
At the beginning of the conflict, Ukraine repelled Russian forces that had approached the capital Kiev, and later achieved victories in some areas in the northeast region of Kharkiv and the south of the region of Kherson. But it also suffered major losses in the eastern areas around the Donetsk region and in Bahmut.
Since the 2022 invasion, Ukraine has lost approximately 11% of its territory, according to data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), analyzed by CNN.
Taking into account the lands already lost to Russia and Russian-backed separatists since the beginning of the conflict in 2014, the total area that Ukraine has lost to Russia since 2014 is approximately 18%, according to calculations from the American television station.
Stages of Ukraine's Occupation by Russia
- 2014 - Russia illegally annexes the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea, and pro-Russian separatists take control of parts of the Donbas province. Both territories are still occupied by Russia.
- 2022 - Russia launches a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, taking control of a large part of the country's north, later liberated by Ukraine. Russia continues to attack in the south and southeast.
- 2025 - After three years of war, Russia now occupies 18% of Ukraine, according to data from February 20, 2025.
- Pink areas: territories under Russia's control as of February 20.
- Gray areas: territories previously occupied by Russia and recaptured by Ukraine
- Hashed areas: territories occupied by Russia in 2014
In 2014, Russian forces illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea shortly after the Maidan revolution sparked political unrest in Kiev. Later that year, Russian-backed separatists took control of parts of the Donbas region, territories that have remained under Russia's occupation to this day.
When Russia launched its large-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to conquer Ukraine within a few days, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Instead, what ensued were three years of intense fighting, due to Ukrainian counteroffensives supported by Western allies.
Ukraine's Biggest Aid Source is in Peril
The United States has had the largest contribution to funding aid for Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022, providing approximately $95 billion in military, humanitarian, and financial aid. This aid could be jeopardized under the Trump administration.
Here is an overview of the sources of aid for Ukraine's war effort:
Nearly half of Ukraine's bilateral aid came from the US
- Data covers the period from January 24, 2022, to October 31, 2024
The previous administration approved millions of dollars in aid for Ukraine. It is unclear how much support the Trump administration will continue to provide.
Trump, who promised to quickly end the war in Ukraine, has been critical of sending American funds to Kiev during his 2024 campaign. Recently, he suggested taking a transactional approach to aid, saying that the US should receive access to rare earth minerals in return, but Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the burdensome plan where the Trump administration demanded the equivalent of $500 billion.
Ukraine has already been affected by the recent suspension of USAID activities. Freezing the funding has led Ukrainian NGOs and charities to make cuts. Over the past three years, Ukraine has been the largest beneficiary of USAID funds.
Millions of Victims
Millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes, heading either to other parts of Ukraine or to other countries.
Just over 6.3 million Ukrainian refugees live in Europe, including approximately 1.2 million in Germany, nearly a million in Poland, and 390,000 in the Czech Republic, according to end-of-2024 data from the UN refugee agency.
In the Russian Federation, there were 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, according to the latest UN estimates from June 2024.
At the end of 2024, in Ukraine approximately 3.7 million people were internally displaced, while 6.9 million Ukrainians sought refuge and asylum outside the country. The number of internally displaced persons has decreased by almost 40% since the start of the war. Meanwhile, the number of refugees in other countries has increased by almost 19%.
It is estimated that over 10 million Ukrainians are still refugees
Almost 42,000 civilians have been killed or injured
Over 12,000 civilians have been killed and over 29,000 have been injured in the three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, according to the UN Office for Human Rights. At least half of those killed (6,203) are men, and 669 are children.
On the left are the death figures, and on the right are the injury figures:
- Data from February 11, 2025, covering territories controlled by the Ukrainian government and territories occupied by the Russian Federation. February 2022 includes only four days — February 24-28. Data valid as of February 25, 2025
T.D.