Lithuanian expansion into Ruthenia

Timeline

1. 1351–1354Polotsk · BelarusIn the early 1350s Algirdas consolidated control over the Ruthenian frontier east of Lithuania, bringing Podlachia and the Polotsk region into the grand duchy's administrative system and laying the groundwork for further eastward expansion toward the Black Sea.
2. 1354–1358Minsk region · BelarusLithuanian forces gradually took control of Belarusian towns such as Minsk and Vitebsk; the Ruthenian Orthodox nobility was incorporated into the grand duchy's aristocratic system, forming a political structure of joint rule between Lithuanian rulers and Ruthenian elites.
3. 1358–1360Volhynia · UkraineBy around 1360 Lithuanian power had penetrated deep into Volhynia and other parts of western Ukraine, approaching Kiev; the weakening of the Golden Horde reduced resistance to eastward expansion. The Ruthenian expansion made Lithuania one of the largest states in Eastern Europe.