Russia Continuing to Lose Control Over Claimed Regions in Ukraine

Map of Russia Invasion of Ukraine, October 3 Map made possible by Institute for the Study of War and Critical Threats

The referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson have ended with the majority of the populations in these regions in Ukraine supposedly indicating their desire to secede from Ukraine in order to be annexed by Russia. Given that President Putin’s efforts in Ukraine have focused on claiming as much territory as possible, which he justified as efforts to protect ethnic…