Russia's Land Gains in Ukraine Shrink as Diesel Goes Unsold

Russia's war machine appears to be losing momentum, with territorial gains in Ukraine slowing to a crawl this year. The Institute for the Study of War recorded about 117 square kilometres seized in the first ten months of 2026, compared with roughly 5,300 square kilometres across all of 2025, Al Jazeera reports.

Ukraine's General Staff estimates about 381,300 Russian personnel were killed or seriously wounded between 1 January and 31 October, though that figure could not be independently verified. Separately, the Financial Times reports Russian tankers are struggling to find buyers for diesel because customers fear US legal penalties. The Kremlin denies this.

Russia was invited to sell 1.8 million tonnes of diesel abroad under a 9 October deal between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. If buyers stay away, pressure on Moscow's war finances could grow, even as fighting and long-range strikes continue on both sides with no settlement in sight for now, analysts say.