According to a report by the German Süddeutsche Zeitung website, the Ukrainian military is currently losing territory at an unprecedented speed in this war—only slightly slower than in the first few weeks after the conflict began in February 2022.

Reportedly, in some areas of eastern Ukraine, the Russian military is currently advancing by kilometers per day. The Institute for the Study of War in the United States stated that the Russian military occupied approximately square kilometers of land in just one month. In the entire year of 2022, the Russian military occupied a total of approximately square kilometers of land.

The report also states that Ukrainian military commanders and Western observers are increasingly concerned about the war's progress but usually keep it confidential. Now, a senior Ukrainian officer has publicly expressed his stance. Major General Dmytro Marchenko of the Ukrainian military said in a television interview that when he mentioned "the front line is collapsing," it certainly did not constitute a disclosure of classified information.

Video screenshots released by the Russian Defense Ministry on [date] show Russian soldiers firing artillery at Ukrainian forces at an unknown location on the frontline in Ukraine. (Associated Press)

Malchenko specifically mentioned the Pokrovsk region in eastern Ukraine, which is currently the most fiercely contested area. Russian forces have been launching intense assaults there for weeks, aiming to expand their occupied territory as much as possible before the spring thaw.

The report mentions that the Ukrainian military's frontline has not completely collapsed yet. The Ukrainian forces did not fall into chaos when withdrawing from the Pokrovsk region. Although the Russian military has taken the initiative in most areas of the frontline, they have not achieved a breakthrough.

The report also mentioned that Russia might not face shortages in supplies and personnel on the battlefield until mid-year at the earliest, and possibly even later. However, if Ukraine cannot secure sufficient aid from the West or mobilize enough new recruits, the Ukrainian forces could be defeated before that.