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Ukraine war situation update: 1 – 7 March 2025

Update on Ukraine war situation and political violence, including key trends, incidents, and fatalities.

19 March 2025

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1154 political violence events 

7% decrease compared to last week

66 incidents of violence targeting civilians 

22% decrease compared to last week

At least 41 fatalities from civilian targeting 

29% increase compared to last week

Map - Ukraine war situation update: 1 – 7 March 2025

Key events

  1. 2 Mar.

    Kherson - A Russian drone hits a bus in Kherson city, killing two and injuring 10 civilians

  2. 5 Mar.

    Dnipropetrovsk - A Russian missile hits a hotel in Kryvyi Rih, killing six and injuring over 30 civilians 

  3. 7 Mar.

    Donetsk - Russian missiles and a drone hit apartment buildings in Dobropillia, killing nine civilians and two emergency workers 

Key trends

  • In the Donetsk region, Russian forces occupied a village northwest of Velyka Novosilka. Meanwhile, counter-attacking Ukrainian forces marginally advanced around Pokrovsk. 
  • Russian forces targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the Odesa, Poltava, Chernihiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil regions on 7 March in one of the largest attacks to date. Ukrainian forces intercepted strikes in at least 35 more instances in 17 regions, including the central regions of Cherkasy and Kirovohrad. 
  • Russian shelling, missiles, and drones killed at least 40 civilians in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, Sumy, and Zaporizhia regions. 

Spotlight: Russia intensifies efforts to push Ukraine out of the Kursk region

Russian forces intensified attacks in the Kursk region in an attempt to force Ukrainian troops out of the Russian territory. On 7 March, Russian forces took on Ukrainian strongholds north of Sudzha and swiftly advanced south of the town, partially cutting off the mostly forested area around Guevo from the rest of the Ukrainian foothold and unleashing intense fire on the road that supplies Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region. Russian reconnaissance groups also reportedly crossed Ukraine’s border around Novenke in the Sumy region to help disrupt the supply line.1 Overall, by the end of the reporting period, Russia regained around two-thirds of the territory Ukraine seized in a surprise cross-border counter-invasion in August 2024.2 The recent reinforcement of Russian forces with North Korean troops3 and the weeklong suspension of United States military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine4 may have helped Russia quickly regain ground last week.5 Russian advances in the Kursk region may compromise Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s idea of exchanging territory with Russia and threaten a Russian offensive in the Sumy region. 

Explore the ACLED Conflict Exposure tool to assess the numbers of people affected by armed violence, disaggregated by locations, time period, and actors involved.

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