Sybiga says Russia’s advance in Ukraine has slowed 3.5-fold
In Ukraine, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that the dynamics on the front indicate that Russia is not winning and will not win the war. Anadolu Agency reported this, citing a statement by the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.
Russia’s pace of advance
According to Sybiha, the average pace of the already slow advance of Russian troops in 2026 was 3.5 times lower than in 2025. He also stated that since the beginning of the year, Russia has seized less than 0.2% of additional Ukrainian territory.
The minister noted that the net balance between territories seized by Russia and retaken by Ukraine in August was approximately 5 square kilometers. In his assessment, Russian troops lost 42,000 people killed or wounded in August, one of the highest monthly casualty figures during the war.
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Situation in Donbas
Sybiha also stated that Ukraine carried out a record 70 successful long-range strikes on targets in Russia in August, which he described as legitimate military targets. According to him, this was a response to Moscow’s attacks and five strikes more than a year earlier.
Speaking about Donbas, the foreign minister stated that Russia had not achieved an operational breakthrough and still does not control 20% of Donetsk Oblast, despite concentrating its main efforts there. At the current pace, he said, Russian occupiers would need more than two years to seize the rest of this territory.
At the same time, Vladimir Putin, president of the aggressor state, the Russian Federation, stated that Russian forces seized 270 square kilometers of territory and 15 settlements in Donetsk Oblast in August. Sybiha acknowledged that victory would be difficult for Ukraine, but stressed that Moscow is also not in a strong position and cannot dictate terms.
