UKRAINE MAP. Several French and international media have developed maps to follow the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Here are the best tools to monitor the day-to-day situation…
The Russian offensive in Ukraine, launched last Thursday, is shaking Europe and the world, which every day observes with concern the resistance of the Ukrainians. At this point, on the fifth day of the war, Vladimir Putin’s troops seem to be coming up against strong resistance from the local army. This Monday, February 28, according to information reported by Agence France Presse (AFP), Kiev indicated that the Russian army had tried “several times” to storm the capital during the night, but that all the attacks had been postponed. According to the Ukrainian general staff, Moscow would even have “slowed down the pace” of its war in Ukraine even if the Russians “are still trying to achieve success in certain areas”. The city of Berdiansk, a city of 110,000 inhabitants located on the Sea of Azov, would on the other hand be “occupied”, according to the Ukrainian presidency, and the Russian army assured to have surrounded the city of Kherson (290,000 inhabitants), more West.
The map of the Ukrainian site Liveuamap
Since the start of the conflict, maps have played a key role in understanding the Russian military operation and in monitoring the situation live. One of the most valuable documents currently available online is the map drawn up by Liveuamap.coman independent Ukrainian platform that compiles and cross-checks several information from media sources and social media and allows you to visualize the clashes and strikes that follow one another in the country.
Situation maps from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
Daily reports and maps by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) supply the press (including Le Monde) with recent and precise information. The Institute for the Study of War is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public policy research organization. It “promotes an informed understanding of military affairs through trusted research, reliable analysis, and innovative education.”
Another interactive map published on MapHub allows to visualize the attacks of Russia and the acts of defense of Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. The tool, which lists hundreds of events to date, is overseen by the Center for Information Resilience (CIR), an independent not-for-profit UK business that is also dedicated to identifying, tackling and exposing influence operations. The CIR aims to “raise awareness of the threat that influence operations, including disinformation, pose to democracy and objective truth, and to help counter them”.
News agency cards
Several agencies supply the press with maps and graphics updated in real time. This is the case of Agence France Presse in France, but also of specialized services such as Visactu Where Graphic News, an independent international agency entirely financed by media publishers. The information is presented there exclusively in a visual and succinct way. Several maps are available on the site to follow the situation in Ukraine but also in Kiev and in several other sectors.
In France, reference sites such as Le Monde or Le Figaro offer to follow the advance of Russian troops via a series of maps based themselves on reliable data from the sources mentioned above. Le Figaro has drawn up three maps based on information from the Liveuamap site, the Graphicnews agency and other press agencies such as AFP. Abroad, the sites of the New York Times (capture) and the Washington Post, the two leading American media, also offer up-to-date maps.
The Battle of Kiev Mapped
In the UK, the BBC also has a page to follow the fighting in Ukraine. Some maps also provide information about the situation in the capital, Kiev. Another British media, the FinancialTimes also declines his cards until the clashes in Kiev (capture).
The Russian military’s push towards Ukraine’s capital slowed over the weekend. After rapid incursions into Kiev during the first two days of the invasion, Russian forces made very limited progress. According to experts, Russia has instead focused on getting additional combat equipment to the front lines.