Putin's troops are barely making headway on the battlefield — NYT
U.S. President Donald Trump is receiving signals from the Kremlin suggesting an imminent triumph for Russian forces, yet the actual situation on the front lines points to a deep crisis within the occupying army.
The New York Times reports on this.
At the current rate of advance, it would take Russia more than 30 years to fully capture the Donetsk region.
Statistics from the Black Bird Group confirm that the gains of the last three months have been the worst for the invaders since 2023.
The main obstacle for the enemy has been the total dominance of Ukrainian drones on the battlefield.
The occupiers faced a fundamental problem of waging war amid the widespread use of drones, which made major breakthroughs by armored vehicles impossible.
This forced Russia to switch to infiltration tactics—the penetration of small infantry groups—which leads to the emergence of vast “gray zones” and the inability to evacuate the wounded.
The enemy’s technological lag has worsened due to the loss of critically important coordination tools.
Russia suffered a significant technological blow due to the loss of access to “Starlink” and restrictions on “Telegram,” which severely impaired communication between units.
This is forcing the Russian command to send soldiers into “meat grinders” practically blindly.
The internal situation in Russia is also becoming critical due to colossal manpower losses. According to the independent publications “Mediazona” and “Meduza,” the number of dead occupiers has already reached 352,000.
Approval ratings for the Kremlin’s policies have fallen to their lowest level since the start of the war due to economic problems and failures in mobilizing new contract soldiers.
Despite public statements about a willingness to make peace, U.S. President Donald Trump hears only ultimatums from Putin’s inner circle.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s adviser, Yuri Ushakov, insists on the complete withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the Donetsk region as a condition for starting negotiations.
Ukraine, however, categorically rejects these demands, discussing only the possibility of creating demilitarized zones.
The Ukrainian leadership is banking on further exhausting the enemy through its technological superiority.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that Ukraine’s goal is to increase the number of Russians killed and seriously wounded to 50,000 per month through the use of drones and strikes on Russian rear areas.
In the Oleksandrivka sector, the occupiers are attempting to covertly build up forces in the ruins
Russian troops have failed in their plans to capture major cities — ISW.
Total combat losses of Russian troops since the full-scale invasion, as of May 10, 2026, have reached approximately 1,341,110 personnel.
