Russian troops advanced 37.85 square kilometers, or about 14.6 square miles, in July — an average of 1.22 square kilometers, or 0.47 square miles, per day.
Russia’s monthly rate of advance has not changed significantly since February 2026, including after the spring-summer offensive began in mid-March, ISW said.
Russian forces nevertheless infiltrated or advanced into an area of approximately 121.56 square kilometers, or 46.9 square miles, in July, more than in previous months.
Russia’s gains in July 2026 amounted to only a small fraction of the territory its forces seized during the same month in 2025, when they captured 455.74 square kilometers, or about 176 square miles.
Russian forces intensified attempts to infiltrate Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast in July 2026, but failed to capture the city or achieve any operationally significant objectives, the analysts said.
Russia’s monthly advances in 2026 remain substantially smaller than during the same period in 2025, even when infiltrations into Ukrainian territory are included.
Ukrainian counterattacks, strikes against targets deep behind Russian lines and Ukraine’s advantage in drone operations continue to slow Russia’s offensive and restrict its ability to use armored vehicles, ISW said.
Russian forces conducted several mechanized assaults in different sectors of the front in July, but the attacks produced no significant results.
The Kremlin has adapted the Russian military over the past several years for positional warfare rather than maneuver operations, the report said.
Ukrainian forces have also adapted to battlefield conditions and are containing Russian advances far more effectively in 2026 than in previous years, the analysts said.
There are currently no indications that Russian forces will be able to significantly accelerate their advance or restore maneuver warfare on the battlefield, ISW concluded.
The institute previously reported that Russia’s military command was misleading the Kremlin about the scale of its purported successes in northern Ukraine to reinforce the narrative that Russian troops were advancing across the entire front.
Ukrainian forces are conducting counterattacks in some northern sectors, contradicting Moscow’s claims of an uninterrupted advance along the front, ISW said.
Ukrainian troops liberated Odradne in Kharkiv Oblast and conducted a mechanized assault northeast of the village of Khatnie, the analysts reported.