OrganisationUA

DeepState

Ukrainian open-source territorial tracking project that maps front-line changes in near-real-time.

DeepState recorded Russian advances in its updates of 17–21 October 2026 after revising its summer tally from 107 to 341 square kilometres. The Ukrainian mapping project said delayed publication of Ukrainian gains had changed its calculations.

Last refreshed: 22 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Why do DeepState and ISW show different frontline maps for the same day?

Timeline for DeepState

#30 21 Oct

Recorded only Russian advances on 17-21 October

Russia-Ukraine War 2026: DeepState logs five days of Russian gains

#29 17 Oct

Recorded no Russian control of the town

Russia-Ukraine War 2026: Russia claims Dobropillia, maps say no

#29 14 Oct

Reported the cap and disrupted missions

Russia-Ukraine War 2026: SpaceX caps Kyiv's terminals at 160 km/h

#29 14 Oct

Recorded Ukraine retaking three villages

Russia-Ukraine War 2026: Ukraine wins back Lypove and Kolodiazi

#28 1 Oct

Revised its count of Russia's summer gains upward

Russia-Ukraine War 2026: DeepState triples count of Russian gains

View full timeline →

Follow Russia-Ukraine War 2026 →

Background

DeepState is a Ukrainian open-source project that publishes a public map of territorial control in the Russia-Ukraine war. Its work turns reports about particular locations into a geographical account of the front. Those assessments can differ from official military claims and from other Independent trackers’ maps.

The project also revises earlier estimates as information becomes publishable. It has described withholding some Ukrainian advances for security reasons, then adding them to its record later. This makes its map a developing assessment of control, with a publication history as well as a geographical one.

Key Issues

Frontline mapping

DeepState revises its territorial picture

In October 2026, DeepState raised its estimate of Russia’s summer gains from 107 to 341 square kilometres. The project said Ukrainian advances previously withheld for security reasons changed the monthly calculations, with further additions still pending. For its map, the revision means the publication date and the date of a territorial change are not always the same.

Its updates from 17 to 21 October then recorded Russian gains near several settlements and inside Rai-Oleksandrivka. These were DeepState’s assessed changes, not a claim that Russia controlled every named settlement. The sequence follows the project’s own revised territorial record.

Common Questions

What is DeepState and how does it track the Ukraine frontline?

DeepState (DeepStateMAP) is a Ukrainian open-source intelligence project that publishes near-real-time interactive maps of frontline positions. It uses satellite imagery, geolocated social media footage, and field reports, updated continuously as new evidence emerges.

Why does DeepState show a different frontline map than ISW?

DeepState and ISW use different source networks and methodologies. DeepState is embedded in the Ukrainian defence community and can access sources not yet public in the West; ISW produces written narrative assessments from Washington DC. In June 2026, DeepState showed a small Russian net gain while ISW recorded a 14-square-mile Russian net loss — the widest divergence since the Kursk withdrawal.Source: ISW

Is DeepState or ISW more accurate at tracking the Ukraine frontline?

Both are credible but methodologically different. DeepState updates faster and is embedded in the Ukrainian information ecosystem; ISW provides more contextualised narrative assessments. Analysts typically cross-reference both rather than treating either as definitive.

Where can I see DeepState's real-time Ukraine map?

DeepState's interactive frontline map is publicly accessible at DeepStateMAP.live, updated continuously as geolocated evidence of frontline changes emerges.

Who founded DeepState and when?

DeepState was founded by Roman Pohorilyi and Ruslan Mykula, who met during Ukraine's 2014 Euromaidan protests. They developed the concept from 2020 and launched their first public map on 24 February 2022, the day Russia's full-scale invasion began.

Does the Ukrainian government work with DeepState?

Yes. Ukraine's Ministry of Defence signed a formal cooperation memorandum with DeepState on 13 March 2024 to improve the exchange of battlefield information and increase the map's accuracy.

Is DeepState's Ukraine frontline map accurate?

DeepState has faced periodic criticism, including a 2025 assessment by a German military analyst that its map lagged real front-line movement by weeks in places. It nonetheless remains one of the most trusted sources inside Ukraine, cited by domestic broadcasters, the BBC, and the Presidential Office.

Source Material

DeepStateMAP — Ukraine frontline tracker