Zelensky: Russians lost 346 000 soldiers in a year. This is almost as many as they mobilized

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that since the beginning of 2025, Russian troops have lost 346 000 killed and wounded. This is almost identical to the number that the Russian Federation has mobilized during this time.

He said this in an interview with Axios.

Zelensky also denied claims that Russia was making progress on the front. He said he had "made it clear to US President Donald Trump" that the Kremlinʼs claims were false.

The President of Ukraine added that American intelligence data also confirmed that there is currently a situation on the front where "no one is winning".

In addition, Zelensky said that according to intelligence, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin boasted during conversations with allies that he would be able to capture the entire Donetsk region by October 15.

The Ukrainian leader is convinced that Russia was unable to do this because it did not have enough people.

"Its strong units have been destroyed. Today, on the battlefield, we remain mostly where we have been for the past 2-3 months," Zelensky stressed.

• Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said that Ukraine will not withdraw troops from the unoccupied part of the Donetsk region, because this is a springboard for a future new Russian offensive and in a few years Putin will have an open path to Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as Kharkiv.
• However, during a conversation with Donald Trump on October 16, the Kremlin leader again stated that he wanted to get all of Donetsk. As the Washington Post reported, Putin hinted that in exchange for Donetsk he was ready to give up occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Some White House officials saw this as progress on the issue of territories.

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