Zelenskiy Says Russia Unlikely to Achieve Planned Advances in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia will struggle to fulfil its planned military advances, asserting that Moscow has failed to meet objectives it set last year. Speaking in Kyiv, Zelenskiy stated that Russia’s broader strategy remains focused on occupying eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, but insisted that current battlefield realities do not support the ambitions outlined in Russian plans for 2026–2027.

According to Zelenskiy, Russia continues to prioritise full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the Donbas, while also eyeing advances toward the southeastern city of Dnipro and the southern Odesa region along the Black Sea. However, he said Ukraine does not believe Russian forces currently possess the capability to accomplish those objectives. The outcome, he added, will largely depend on continued Western weapons supplies and Ukraine’s expanding domestic arms production.

Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its troops had captured three additional villages in eastern Ukraine as part of a prolonged offensive. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces had retaken nine settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region since late January and were continuing counteroffensive operations along the southeastern front. Territorial control remains a major sticking point in U.S.-mediated peace efforts, with Russia demanding concessions that Kyiv has firmly rejected.

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