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BATTLE // January 1, 2020

eastern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

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Overview

Ukraine's easternmost regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv, have been the site of an ongoing theatre of operation since the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war in February 2022.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The eastern front encompassing Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv oblasts has constituted the primary sustained theatre of the full-scale Russo-Ukrainian war that began in February 2022. Russian forces committed approximately 38,000 troops to operations in this theatre against a substantially larger Ukrainian force of around 125,000. The scale of attrition on both sides reflects the intensity of sustained engagement: Russian casualties reached 40,000–41,000, while Ukrainian casualties ranged from 8,000 to 20,000. The eastern front has been the central axis along which territorial control, force depletion, and strategic initiative have been contested throughout the conflict, with Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv representing both the geographic and operational core of the war's ground campaign.

Forces & casualties

Troop strength

  • Russia38,000
    medium
  • Ukraine125,000
    medium

Ukraine fielded a 3.3 : 1 numerical advantage

Casualties

  • Russie40,000–41,000
    medium
  • Ukraine8,000–20,000
    medium11% loss rate

Commanders (2)

Russia

Ukraine

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Last verified June 2026
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