Since the start of 2026, Russian troops have seized about 890 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine’s Defence Forces have de-occupied roughly 800 sq km.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
According to Zelenskyy, this means Russia has gained around 90–100 sq km of additional territory over the year. He stressed that this is significantly less than in previous years, when Russian troops seized about 3,000–4,000 sq km of Ukrainian territory per year.
The President also said that the price of such territorial gains for Russia is high. Russian losses in the war amount to 270,000 people. Zelenskyy believes the situation on the battlefield has “almost frozen”, despite the Kremlin’s claims of Russian military successes.
“The price for 100 kilometres is so high that he (Putin – ed.) neither wins nor loses, but his society is losing people and money,” Zelenskyy explained.
- On 22 September, Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to the Ukrainian President, during the talks the American leader did not demand that Ukraine unilaterally stop strikes on Russia. The sides discussed a possible ceasefire on strikes against energy facilities.
- Ukraine’s leader also shared with Trump his view on the position of Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy believes the Russian President may claim he is ready to end the war; however, after elections are held in Russia, new attacks may follow.