"Ukraine Recaptures More Land Than Lost for Second Month... Long-Range Drone Strategy Hits the Mark"

Ukraine Allocates 1.5 Billion Euros to Drone Production from January to April This Year

There is an analysis suggesting that Ukraine has recaptured more territory over the past two months than Russia has seized, largely thanks to its long-range drones.

According to an analysis by AFP on June 4th (local time), based on data from the U.S. think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian forces had regained 282 square kilometers of territory as of last month. This means Ukraine has reclaimed a larger area than the territory occupied by Russian forces during the same period.

In contrast, Russian forces have retreated from more of their previously held territory than they have newly occupied for the second consecutive month. In April alone, Ukraine recovered about 120 square kilometers of land previously held by Russia. According to AFP, this is the first time in two and a half years that Ukraine has reclaimed more territory than Russia has newly occupied.

In total, Ukraine has recaptured 403 square kilometers of territory over the two months of April and May. However, this represents only about 0.4% of the territory currently occupied by Russia. At present, Russia controls approximately 19% of Ukraine’s territory.

Ukraine's recent momentum on the battlefield is attributed to its independently developed long-range drone technology. In a recently released report, ISW analyzed, "Ukraine's successful mid-range and front-line drone attack operations are limiting Russia's ability to transport troops and supply its strongholds."

A significant portion of allied support for Ukraine is being directed toward drone development and production. According to the German think tank Kiel Institute, out of the 12.33 billion euros (approximately 21.98 trillion won) in European military aid to Ukraine from January to April this year, 1.5 billion euros (approximately 2.67 trillion won) was allocated for drone production. This amount already exceeds last year’s annual budget of 1.24 billion euros (approximately 2.2 trillion won).

As Ukraine’s counteroffensive intensifies, the mutual strikes are escalating further. In particular, after the Russian Victory Day celebrations early last month, both sides have ramped up retaliatory attacks, including rear assaults utilizing hypersonic and cruise missiles.

On the eve of the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which Russian President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to attend, Ukraine attacked oil terminals and other facilities in the region. This retaliation came just a day after a large-scale Russian offensive resulted in 23 deaths across Ukraine.

According to Russian regional authorities, Ukrainian forces also attacked Simferopol, the administrative center of Crimea, on the same day, resulting in the deaths of three civilians.

Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that Ukraine has recently requested Patriot missile support from Germany in anticipation of further Russian missile strikes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.