It is likely that the russian Ground Forces (RGF) seized approximately 250 sq km of Ukrainian territory in September 2025, a notable decrease from the approximately 465 sq km taken in August 2025. This follows moderate month on month decreases in ground taken from June 2025 to August 2025, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
The notable decrease in ground taken from August 2025 to September 2025 is highly likely due to the RGF focus on relocating multiple russian divisions along the front line, notably Airborne divisions, from Sumy region to Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Read more: UK Defense Intelligence Explains Why russia Calls Up 135,000 for Autumn Draft
Russian forces have continued to advance in Dnipropetrovsk region and are currently contesting the towns of Oleksiivka and Novohryhorivka, having captured the town of Verbove in early to mid-October 2025.
The RGF are contesting the majority of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region, with reporting indicating that russian forces have captured most of the high-rise buildings in the northern half of the city, and that Ukrainian forces are carrying out operations to clear them.
The RGF are continuing intensive efforts to envelop Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, the key Ukrainian logistics hub which supports operations in the Donbas. Pokrovsk likely remains russia's priority axis, with the largest proportion of russian assaults relative to the rest of the front line.
As Defense Express previously reported, russia has likely sustained approximately 332,000 casualties (killed and wounded) in the war so far in 2025, and approximately 1,118,000 casualties since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Read more: UK Defense Intelligence: russia's Daily Casualties Top 1,000 Again Amid Renewed Fighting
