Did you know Ukrainian territory under Russian control is as big as these countries? Areas and size, explained

The White House on Monday (Aug 18) displayed a map showing Russian control over Ukrainian territory, just as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders were visiting President Donald Trump for talks to end the war. The map, in a manner of speaking, made Russian military incursions and the resulting land grab official. If one combines the actual and supposed territory taken by Russia, it is as big as at least seven countries. Here is a breakdown of the extent of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

How many square kilometres of Ukrainian territory does Russia control?

At the time of writing this, Russia is estimated to control nearly 18.3 per cent to 20 per cent of Ukraine’s territory, amounting to about 110,000 to 120,000 square kilometres of Ukraine's total area of 603,548 square kilometres. This includes Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Large portions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, or administrative areas, were taken by Russia in its military operation since 2022, along with small areas in Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk.

Editor's note: The fog of war means that there would be fluctuations in the actual areas under Russian control. Map-making is difficult in a war zone. Also, with the ebbs and flows of the battlefield, the areas under control would change. But the following is a fair estimate based on various sources and media reports.

Breakdown of Ukrainian territories and regions under Russian control, real or supposed

Crimea, already annexed by Russia in 2014 in a military operation, is around 27,000 sq km. Russia has been administering Crimea as two federal subjects, despite Ukraine and most countries in the international community still recognising it as Ukrainian territory.

The Russian military operation, or invasion according to the West, which started in 2022, led to Russian control of several oblasts, or administrative regions in Ukraine. They are as follows:

Donetsk Oblast: Russia has control over nearly 15,540 to 15,731 sq km of Donetsk, amounting to nearly 60 per cent of the oblast. The areas include Mariupol, besides territories already held by the Donetsk People’s Republic since 2014. Ukraine still retains key towns like Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

Luhansk Oblast: Nearly 26,285 sq km of Luhansk are under Russian control, which is up to 98.5 per cent of the oblast, meaning Luhansk is practically under Russian control now. The so-called Russia-backed Luhansk People’s Republic gained nearly full control by 2022.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast: Russia occupies about 19,839 sq km or nearly 73 per cent of this sensitive region, which also houses a nuclear power plant. Russian control includes the city of Enerhodar and the Zaporizhzhia reactor, while Ukraine controls the remaining 7,344 sq km.

Kherson Oblast: In Kherson, Russia controls 21,337 sq km, which is around 74 per cent of the oblast. Russia had captured more territory in 2022, but Ukraine reclaimed the west bank of the Dnipro River, including Kherson city later that year.

In the regions of Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk, Russia holds roughly 400 sq km, mainly in border buffer zones like Vovchansk in Kharkiv.

What is the total size of the Russian-occupied area in Ukraine?

When one adds up all these, the estimates could range from 110,000 to 116,000 sq km.

As mentioned earlier, these are not confirmed, as sources and frontline positions vary as the war progresses. For instance, the French newspaper Le Monde reported the total area under Russian control as 110,400 sq km in March 2025, while Al Jazeera calculated the area as 114,500 sq km in August.

The territory Russia holds in Ukraine is the same or bigger than these countries

The territory under real or supposed control of Russia in Ukraine is larger than the total size of Serbia (88,361 sq km), Jordan (89,342), Portugal (92,090), and Hungary (93,030).
The size is roughly equal to or slightly larger than Cuba (109,884 sq km).
It also exceeds the size of Iceland (103,000 sq km) and South Korea (100,210).
It is comparable to the US state of Pennsylvania, which has an area of 119,280 sq km.

Will Ukraine have to give up territory?

Besides Crimea, the Russian invasion of Ukraine helped it gain around 4,200 sq km between December 2023 and March 2025. While neither Ukraine nor its mostly European allies recognise Russia’s territorial claims, the White House displaying the map is significant. It is an indication that, at the end of the day, some of this territory may have to be ceded.