War Wrapper: “Below are a series of charts showing how the control of territory has developed throughout the war, from the rapid advances by the Russian forces in the early days of the conflict to the counter-offensive operations by Ukraine to regain control of the lost territory. If you follow the war in Ukraine closely it can sometimes appear that there are large, regular advances occurring. This is in part due to the way the conflict is often reported on. Gradual confirmation of claimed advances or simply repeated attacks in one location giving the impression of multiple advances on that axis. Another factor is simply the scale of the war and the length of the active frontline. When compared to the totality of the country, the advances prove to be fairly minor. In addition, they are often gradual enough and fortifications are deep enough, that new defences can be set up preventing a large-scale breakthrough similar to that achieved by Ukraine in late 2022. This has changed with the Russian Autumn Offensive of 2024 in the vicinity of Pokrovsk. Ukraine has, so far, been unable to develop full defensive lines behind the advance and slow its pace. This chart shows just how static the line has been for large portions of the conflict. A slight uptick in Russian control can be just about seen in the last few months of the chart…”