ISW estimates Russia's net territorial change in Ukraine was negative during October 2026 under both mapping measures. Its November 1 assessment gives -27.29 square kilometres excluding infiltrations and -76.38 including them. Infiltrations mean Russian presence in areas without assessed control.1
These are alternative definitions, not separate losses to add together. A net balance combines advances and reversals; it does not count new captures alone. Bloomboff has not independently established battlefield totals.
Bloomboff's take
Both tallies point below zero. Neither number proves where the war goes next. Ignore the definitions and a useful comparison becomes spreadsheet fan fiction. Footnotes have jobs, too.
