President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russian troops are currently unable to advance with equipment and are only attempting infiltration in small groups, while Russia has no intention of ending the war.
Zelensky stated this while speaking with journalists, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"The spring campaign, as it had been planned, drowned in this spring for the Russians; they were unable to advance. They are carrying out offensive actions, but they are all the same – attempts at infiltration and similar tactics. They cannot break through anywhere with equipment – we are burning their equipment. Therefore, they do not have any large-scale operation, although in different parts of the front they still try to act using infiltration tactics and constant assaults. Our warriors are destroying them," Zelensky said.
He noted that among the reasons for the failure of the Russian offensive were the successful operation in Kupiansk in 2025, as well as this year's operation in the south of the country.
"We saw how they began moving troops from the Donetsk direction here [to the south], because they were afraid that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would move further than those 430 kilometers," Zelensky said.
At the same time, he emphasized that Russia's failures do not mean it has abandoned plans to continue its aggression. According to the President, there is currently information that they will attempt to continue offensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia, Pokrovsk, and Huliaipole directions.
"All of this will remain. After Kupiansk they will pull back – and then they will want Kupiansk again. These things are absolutely clear. What is happening in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions is just some kind of demonstrations; there are no forces there for now. They moved everyone from there to Donbas, and then from Donbas to Huliaipole, to the south. For now, that's the situation," Zelensky noted.
He added that intelligence had shown him Russian maps with areas marked in red indicating what they want to capture in 2026–2027.
"This shows that they definitely have no thoughts about stopping the war. Why do we react to the words of one leader or another that Putin wants to end the war? He does not want to. Otherwise his maps should look different. The money should go toward increasing infrastructure funding, not toward increasing missile production," he said.
As reported earlier, Zelensky previously stated that in the south the Defense Forces managed to regain control over 400–435 kilometers of territory.
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