Russia's military campaign in Ukraine stalls for first time in more than two years

France24 · 🇫🇷 public France · Apr 02, 2026 · 507 words

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What to know about Russia's military campaign in Ukraine stalls for first time in more than two years

Russia's military campaign in Ukraine stalls for first time in more than two years Russia’s advance in Ukraine stalled in March, with no territorial gains for the first time in over two years, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Ukrainian forces recaptured small areas, signalling a slowdown in Moscow’s momentum after months of progress, raising new questions about the war’s next phase.

Common ground

Russia's army recorded no territorial gains on the front line in Ukraine in March for the first time in two and half years, AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Russia's military campaign in Ukraine stalls for first time in more than two years?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that In 2025, the Russian army made more progress in Ukraine than in the preceding 24 months. But in the first three months of 2026, Russian territorial gains were half those of the same period in 2025?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260402-russia-military-campaign-in-ukraine-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 7

schedule Pending 4

verified Verified By Reference 3

schedule

Claim 1: “In 2025, the Russian army made more progress in Ukraine than in the preceding 24 months. But in the first three months of 2026, Russian territorial gains were half those of the same period in 2025”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 2: “Ukrainian forces managed to recapture 9 square kilometres in March as Moscow's forces slowed down across the entire front line”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the 9 square km recapture claim.

verified

Claim 3: “Russia's army recorded no territorial gains on the front line in Ukraine in March for the first time in two and half years, AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries provide general war context but do not confirm specific claims about Russia's territorial gains in March.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, during the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting the current phase of the war, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. By Apri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukrai…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine. It then supported Russian separatist armed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…

schedule

Claim 4: “Four years after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow occupies just over 19 percent of the country, the majority of which was seized during the first weeks of the conflict”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 5: “This figure excludes infiltration operations conducted by Russian forces beyond the front line, as well as advances claimed by the Russian side but neither confirmed nor denied by the ISW”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries do not mention the 9 square km recapture or exclusion of infiltration operations.

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Claim 6: “The Russian army has been slowing its advance since late 2025 due to counter-offensives in the southeast of the country, with 319 square kilometres of gains in January and 123 square kilometres in February, the smallest advances since April 2024”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the specific territorial gain claims for 2026.

help

Claim 7: “The ISW attributed the slowdown of the Russian army in recent months to Ukrainian counter-offensives, but also to 'Russia's ban on using Starlink terminals in Ukraine' and 'the Kremlin's efforts to restrict access to Telegram'”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the ISW attribution of slowdown causes.

help

Claim 8: “Ukrainian forces recaptured small areas, signalling a slowdown in Moscow’s momentum after months of progress”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about Ukrainian forces recapturing areas.

help

Claim 9: “The ISW worked with the Critical Threats Project (part of the American Enterprise Institute, or AEI), another US think-tank specialising in conflict”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the ISW collaboration claim.

verified

Claim 10: “Russia’s advance in Ukraine stalled in March, with no territorial gains for the first time in over two years, according to the Institute for the Study of War”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries only provide general historical context about the Russo-Ukrainian war but do not mention specific claims about March أوراق or ISW analysis.

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help

Claim 11: “The messaging app, very popular among Russians including those fighting on the front line, has been barely usable in recent months due to blocks imposed by the authorities”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the Telegram usability claim.

help

Claim 12: “Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine stalls for first time in more than two years”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about Russia's military campaign stalling in Ukraine.

schedule

Claim 13: “Approximately seven percent, including Crimea and areas in the Donbas region, was already under Russian or pro-Russian separatist control before the invasion”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “As in February, Russia has lost ground on the southern section of the front line, between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, where it occupied more than 400 square kilometres at the end of January. This area shrank to 200 square kilometres in February and to 144 square kilometres in March”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.