desk
Share
News Topical, Digital Desk : US President Donald Trump has made a big statement to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. He said that both countries will have to give up some part of their land. But the question arises that how much land of Ukraine has Russia occupied?
Russia has occupied about 19% of Ukraine, i.e. about 1,14,500 square kilometers. This includes Crimea, eastern and south-eastern areas. On the other hand, Ukraine says that it will not give even an inch of its land to Russia.
Russia claims Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson as its territories. Moscow considered these areas as part of Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but now it considers them as part of Russia.
Ukraine has clearly stated that it will never accept this occupation by Russia. Most countries recognize Ukraine's 1991 borders. Let us understand one by one who claims which areas?
Russia has been claiming Crimea for a long time
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, a 27,000 square kilometer territory along the Black Sea, following a disputed referendum. Russia says Crimea is now part of it, but Ukraine considers it its own.
Some Ukrainian officials believe that taking back Crimea will not be easy. In the 18th century, Russian Empress Catherine included Crimea in the Russian Empire. In 1954, Soviet leader Khrushchev handed it over to Ukraine.
Russia occupies large parts of Donetsk, Luhansk and Donbass
Russia has occupied 88% of Donbass, i.e. 46,570 square kilometers. This includes the whole of Luhansk and 75% of Donetsk. Ukraine is left with only 6,600 square kilometers. Russia-backed separatists declared these areas as 'independent republics' in 2014. In 2022, Putin attacked Ukraine considering them as independent countries. Russia is now trying to capture the remaining cities of Donetsk.
Russia also occupied Kharkiv, Sumy and other areas
Russia has also occupied small parts of Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk. Its occupation in Sumy and Kharkiv is around 400 square kilometers. Russia says it is creating a buffer zone in Sumy so that its Kursk region remains safe.
Russia annexed large areas of Zaporizhia and Kherson to its country
Russia occupies 74% of Zaporizhia and Kherson, or 41,176 square kilometers. Ukraine has 14,500 square kilometers left. In 2024, Putin said that Ukraine is ready for a peace deal if it withdraws from the areas it claims and gives up its intention to join NATO. Russia also said that Ukraine must remain neutral and limit its military might.
What does the world say?
Russia considers Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson as its part, but Ukraine calls them its land.
The United Nations declared the annexation of Crimea by Russia illegal in 2014. Only a few countries like Syria, North Korea and Nicaragua consider Crimea to be a part of Russia. Putin had accused the Western countries of adopting a double standard by citing the independence of Kosovo.
--Advertisement--
