Zelenskyy Revealed Russia's Casualties in 2026
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia has lost 267,000 troops since the beginning of 2026. Of those, about 155,000 have been killed, according to his figures.
“Since the start of the year, Russia has lost 267,000 personnel, including about 155,000 killed in action as of today,” the president said. Thus, this figure refers to the total losses of Russian personnel, which include those killed and other casualties. Separately, Zelenskyy cited the number of those killed—about 155,000.
Russia’s main objective remains in the Donetsk region
According to the president, Russian troops continue to focus their main efforts on the Kostiantynivka–Sloviansk–Kramatorsk axis.
Zelenskyy noted that Russia has not yet achieved its objective in this sector of the front. At the same time, he believes that this sector will remain one of the Russian army’s main priorities going forward. “The enemy’s main axis is Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk. They have not achieved their objective there, but this axis will remain their main focus this year and beyond,” the head of state emphasized.
Russia Has Also Failed to Achieve Its Objectives on the Northern Front
Zelenskyy identified the regions of Kharkiv and Sumy as another direction where Moscow is attempting to advance. According to him, Russia is trying to create a so-called “buffer zone” there. However, as the president stated, Russian troops have not yet achieved this objective either.
“On another front, their current goal is a ‘buffer zone’ in the Kharkiv-Sumy regions. The enemy has not achieved this goal either,” Zelenskyy said. Thus, according to the president’s assessment, Russia continues offensive operations on several fronts simultaneously but has not yet achieved its stated goals. At the same time, the Ukrainian side emphasizes the significant losses suffered by the Russian army since the beginning of the year. Zelenskyy reported this during a conversation with journalists.
Russia has not ruled out the theoretical possibility of an offensive from the Bryansk region toward the Chernihiv and Kyiv regions. However, no Russian troops have been detected in the Bryansk region along this route at this time, although Ukrainian military personnel have spotted Russian military equipment along the border.
Ukrainian defense forces have almost completely liberated the Dnipropetrovsk region from Russian troops. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, approximately 10 square kilometers remain under Russian control—three small villages where, as the president claims, there are virtually no Russian troops left.
