Russian army takes control of about 210 square kilometers of territory in May — expert

MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. The Russian army liberated about 210 square kilometers of territory in the special military operation zone in May, military expert Boris Rozhin told TASS.

"The Ukrainian armed forces lost control of around 210 square kilometers of territory. And this is despite the fact that the Russian army has not yet launched a large-scale offensive, which is usually expected in the summer. The Ukrainian command acknowledges that their situation is dire as they expect Russian forces to intensify operations in several key areas at once, including the Dobropolye, Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Krasny Liman, Kharkov, Sumy, Zaporozhye and Dnepropertvosk directions," he noted.

According to Rozhin, the Russian army made significant advances near Belitskoye and Konstantinovka in the past month, where some enemy units were caught in a kill zone.

According to TASS estimates based on data from the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian armed forces liberated 63 residential communities in the special operation zone between March and May 2026.