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Russia loses ground – but not the war – in Ukraine

France24 · · 690 words · By Sébastian SEIBT
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260508-russia-loses-ground-but-not-the-war-…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 1
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“Moscow lost territory on the battlefield in April 2026 for the first time since Ukraine’s bold August 2024 incursion into Russia's Kursk oblast”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results, including reports citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), confirm that Russian forces suffered a net loss of territory in April 2026 for the first time since August 2024.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2026 (MMXXVI) is the current year, and is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2026th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 26th year of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 12 April 2026 to elect all 199 members of the National Assembly. It was the 10th parliamentary election and the highest-turnout election since Hungary's…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Hungarian_parliamentary_e…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 8 April 2026, shortly after the announcement of a ceasefire to the 2026 Iran war and Hezbollah signalling a pause in attacks against Israel according to the ceasefire, Israel launched what it descr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_April_2026_Israeli_attacks_o…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Moscow's losses were equivalent to some 116 square kilometres across several areas of the front line.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results specifically mention the figure of 116 square kilometers lost by Russia in April 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country in Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world, spanning eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries. W…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine. It then supported Russian separatist armed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Tupolev Tu-116 (Russian: Туполев Ту-116) is a turboprop-powered long-range airliner designed by the Tupolev design bureau and built in the USSR.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-116
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Russia lost territory in Ukraine in April for the first time since 2024, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) published May 2.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is directly supported by multiple reports citing an ISW assessment published on May 2, 2026, regarding the net loss of territory in April.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American advocacy think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. [1][2] ISW has provided analysis …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_the_Study_of_War
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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · Institute for the Study of war ISW is a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization that advances an informed understanding of military affairs through reliable research…
https://www.understandingwar.org/
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web search NEUTRAL — This interactive map complements the static control-of-terrain maps that ISW daily produces with high-fidelity.
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/36a7f6a6f5a9448496de641…
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“Ukraine gained some 116 square kilometres (45 square miles) along several areas of the front, including in the Sumy region north of Kharkiv but also further south in Zaporizhzhia province”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the 116 sq km figure is corroborated, the specific breakdown of gains in Sumy and Zaporizhzhia is not explicitly detailed across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence; only the general figure is widely reported.
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web search NEUTRAL — Zaporizhzhia Oblast (Ukrainian: Запорізька область, romanized: Zaporizka oblast), commonly referred to as Zaporizhzhia (Запоріжжя), is an oblast (region) in south-east Ukraine. Its administrative cent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaporizhzhia_Oblast
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web search NEUTRAL — Russian forces have taken 1700 square kilometres of territory in Ukraine in 2026 and are advancing on its so-called fortress belt in Donbas, Moscow's top general has said while inspecting his forces.
https://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/9230306/russia-has-tak…
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web search NEUTRAL — Ukraine controls around 6,600 square km of Donbas, which comprises the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and is now demanded by Russia.Russian forces control about 74% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson region…
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/trump-peace-talks-here…
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“The Russian advance has been slowing significantly since November 2025”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources state that the pace of Russia's advancement has been steadily declining or slowing since November 2025.
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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 2022: No Russian military control (except in Crimea which was annexed in 2014) but there is a patch to the east shown in yellow as being held by Russia-backed separatists. Mar 2022: Rapid Russian …
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l0k4389g2o
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web search NEUTRAL — Russian forces made advances in two sectors of the front on May 25, according to the open-source intelligence platform DeepState, which reported the movements on May 26.
https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/russian-troops-advance-nea…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Russian military is estimated to be the second (after the US) on the list of the strongest militaries in the world.Cadets of the Military University of Russian Defence Ministry march during a rehe…
https://www.rbth.com/science-and-tech/331094-everything-abou…
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“Russian forces have been using infiltration tactics in part to create the perception of continuous Russian advances across the front”
CORROBORATED
Both Al Jazeera (quoting ISW) and a report from #Mezha confirm that Russian forces have been using infiltration tactics to create a perception of continuous advance.
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web search NEUTRAL — In warfare, infiltration tactics involve small independent light infantry forces advancing into enemy rear areas, bypassing enemy frontline strongpoints, possibly isolating them for attack by follow-u…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiltration_tactics
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web search NEUTRAL — “Russian forces have been using infiltration tactics in part to create the perception of continuous Russian advances across the front and to support Kremlin cognitive warfare efforts to exaggerate Rus…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/8/ukraine-may-have-tur…
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web search NEUTRAL — Russian forces use infiltration tactics with drones and concentrated attacks on logistics routes in Pokrovsk, facing tough resistance from Ukrainian defenders.
https://mezha.net/eng/bukvy/russian-infiltration-tactics-and…
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“Russia is still managing to advance, albeit modestly, on the fronts it considers priorities, such as the region around Pokrovsk and towards the city of Kramatorsk.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Russian advances in the Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk sectors, describing them as strategic priorities.
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web search NEUTRAL — Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of March 12:- Russian forces are advancing in and around #Verbove in #Dnipro- U...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc-rQ8DJQxw
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web search NEUTRAL — A Russian summer offensive near the eastern town of Pokrovsk did make rapid advances just north of the town and Russia has recently made advances in the town itself and to the east of nearby Kostyanty…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l0k4389g2o
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web search NEUTRAL — Claiming Pokrovsk does however allow Russia to consolidate control in Donetsk, part of its larger aim to take the entire Donbas region. The city provides a strategic platform to move north toward Kram…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-07/russian-claim-it-has-…
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“Ukraine is intensifying its campaign of launching ever-deeper strikes on Russian infrastructure”
SINGLE SOURCE
While general news sources about the war are provided, there is no specific evidence in the provided text confirming an 'intensification' of 'ever-deeper strikes' specifically as a current trend in the provided evidence snippets.
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web search NEUTRAL — Ukraine covers an area of 603,628 km 2 (233,062 sq mi) with an estimated total population of 32.3 million in 2026. Humans have inhabited Ukraine since 32,000 BC. During the Middle Ages, it was the sit…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine
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web search NEUTRAL — Follow the latest news about the Russia Ukraine war. Find reports from the ground, verified videos, maps and expert analysis by BBC correspondents across the world.
https://www.bbc.com/news/war-in-ukraine
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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · Read the latest news on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Stay updated with on-the-ground reporting, political developments on both sides, and the economic impact on the region and the world.
https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-russia-war/
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“The Russian army has been struggling for months to mobilise more troops, Aliyev says, including recruiting more aggressively from universities.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding Aliyev's statements or university recruitment struggles.
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“Starlink 's decision to cut off Russian troops' access to its satellites was a major blow to Russia”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding Starlink cutting off Russian troops' access to satellites.
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“In February, the Kremlin also began restricting access to Telegram”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.