In May, Ukrainian Forces Reclaimed About 120 Square Kilometers More Than They Lost, Despite Record Number of Clashes

Despite the highest number of combat engagements since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war—over 7,000—in May, the Ukrainian Defense Forces regained control of an area 120 square kilometers larger than what the Russian occupiers were able to capture.

This was reported by Militarnyi citing its own sources within the Defense Forces.

During May, Russian forces took control of approximately 130 square kilometers of territory, whereas a month earlier this figure had reached 150–160 square kilometers.

At the same time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces regained control and repelled the occupiers’ incursions across an area of about 250 square kilometers, whereas in April, 80 square kilometers were liberated.

Thus, the balance of lost and regained control stands at approximately 120 square kilometers in favor of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

In particular, throughout May, there were public reports of successes by fighters of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine special forces in the Stepnogorsk area of the Zaporizhzhia region, the 23rd Assault Regiment R.U.G in the Vovchansk sector, the liberation of the village of Odradne by forces of the 129th Heavy Mechanized Brigade in the Kharkiv region, as well as the successful offensive by the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Oleksandrivka sector.

Information about the successful offensive operations of the Defense Forces throughout May 2026 is also confirmed by DeepState analysts.

“Although it should be understood that for security reasons we report the advances of the Ukrainian Defense Forces with a delay, and therefore without specifics, we are ready to state that this is the first month in recent years since the ‘Counteroffensive 2023’ when the net gain of occupied territory for the Russians has turned negative,” they stated.

At the same time, according to information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, tensions on the front lines in May reached their highest levels since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a total of 7,008 combat engagements were recorded in May, which is 37% more than in April, when 5,085 battles took place.

The most intense day of the month was May 26, when 317 combat engagements were recorded during that 24-hour period.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi stated in an exclusive interview with Militarnyi, commenting on the operational situation as of May 14, there had already been a day in May when the number of offensive actions by the Ukrainian Defense Forces exceeded that of Russian troops for the first time.

According to him, this result was the outcome of systematic efforts to neutralize enemy personnel and reduce their offensive capabilities.

The number of Russian strikes also remains extremely high. Throughout May, the Russians deployed 7,500 aerial bombs equipped with universal guidance and correction modules.

According to the General Staff, this is the second-highest month in terms of airstrikes since the start of the full-scale invasion. Only March saw more. It had 7,987. For comparison, in April, the Russians used nearly 7,000 guided aerial bombs.