The Russian army has seized 505 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory since launching offensive operations in October 2023, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). According to ISW estimates, Russian forces gained almost 100 more square kilometers of territory between January 1 and March 28, 2024, than in the last three months of 2023. This rate of advance may be due to a combination of Ukrainian materiel shortages and more conducive weather conditions in the winter than in the fall. “This marginal increase in the rate of Russian advance is not reflective of the threat of Russian …