The Donetsk region has been flattened due to months of ferocious fighting (Image: Getty)
forces are advancing at their fastest rate in since the according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The highly respected American think tank has shared ominous mapping on its X account which shows the around the , a long-time strategic target.
According to a news group, Russian forces have taken almost 235sqkm of Ukrainian territory over the past week.
If true, this would represent a weekly record for a calendar year.
The gains come following months of in the area, which has incurred daily losses of 1,200 soldiers.
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The area has seen ferocious fighting as Ukraine seeks to halt Russian advances (Image: X: Institute for the Study of War)
NEW: Russian forces continue to make significant tactical advances in western Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces are coming closer to enveloping Velyka Novosilka and advancing toward important Ukrainian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) supplying the rest of western Donetsk…
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar)
The ISW said: “Russian forces recently have been advancing at a significantly quicker rate than they did in the entirety of 2023.”
The area is deemed important to as it plays a vital role in supplying Ukrainian defensive positions on the front line.
The conflict is believed to be entering a decisive phase, with the shadow of an incoming presidency and brutal winter at the forefront of military planners minds.
The president-elect has vowed to end the conflict on day one of coming into office, making the seizure and holding of land vital on both sides to strengthen their hands at any potential negotiation.
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The Donetsk region has been the scene of vicious fighting for months (Image: Getty)
has an average temperature close to 0C at this time of winter, making living and fighting conditions extremely difficult.
has recently intensified focus on in an attempt to disrupt civilian life and limit the armed forces’ access to power.
In recent months, has conducted several drone and missile attacks against
Last week, one of the largest such strikes of the war so far by the Russians targeted “power generation and transmission facilities throughout ” according to Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
The strikes did not hit the three operational nuclear power plants still under government control, but did strike sub-stations that the plant relies on.