Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia’s advance in Ukraine had slowed and that Moscow was not in a position to dictate the terms of the war. Sybiha argued that Russia could not win the war.
According to Sybiha’s assessment, Russia’s rate of advance declined 3.5-fold in 2026 compared with 2025. Russian forces captured less than 0.2 percent of additional Ukrainian territory this year, while in August the net difference between the territory Russia captured and the territory Ukraine retook was approximately 5 square kilometers.
Russia’s losses in August
Sybiha said 42,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in August. He said the figure was among the highest monthly casualty figures of the war.
The Ukrainian foreign minister also said Ukraine carried out 70 successful long-range strikes on legitimate military targets in Russia during the same month. Sybiha said this was five more than the previous year.
Claim of a breakthrough in Donetsk
Sybiha said Russia had failed to achieve an operational breakthrough in Donbas, where it had concentrated most of its efforts, and stated that Russian forces still did not control 20 percent of Donetsk region. Sybiha said that if the current rate of advance remained unchanged, it would take more than two years to capture this area.
Sybiha acknowledged that it would be difficult for Ukraine to win the war but said Russia was not in a strong position either and could not dictate the terms of the conflict. Sybiha claimed that the maps Russian generals presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin did not reflect the situation on the ground and reiterated that Moscow could not win the war.
Figures announced by Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that Russian forces had increased their rate of advance in Ukraine. Putin said Russia had captured 270 square kilometers and 15 settlements in Donetsk region in August.
