Russia captured 461 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in October, according to AFP’s analysis of ISW data — marking steady advances along the eastern frontline. The report claims Moscow now controls 81% of the Donetsk region, which it claims to have annexed, while also gaining ground in Dnipropetrovsk — a region not formally claimed by Russia. Kyiv confirmed intense fighting in Pokrovsk, where President Volodymyr Zelensky described the situation as “challenging,” with nearly 300 Russian soldiers reportedly engaged in fierce combat. As Russia pushes forward, Moscow has renewed demands for Kyiv to withdraw from the four annexed regions as a precondition for peace talks — a proposal Ukraine has firmly rejected as undermining its sovereignty. The fighting continues to test both armies, as Ukraine braces for renewed offensives amid heavy bombardment and the use of glide bombs concentrated around Pokrovsk. Watch.