Zelensky says Russia gained only 90–100 sq km net in 2026 at cost of 260,000–270,000 Russian casualties
In a Wall Street Journal interview during his US visit, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces captured around 890 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in 2026 while Ukraine's Defense Forces deoccupied around 800 square kilometers, leaving a net Russian gain of roughly 90–100 square kilometers at a cost he put at 260,000–270,000 Russian casualties.
Key points
- Zelensky gave the figures in a Wall Street Journal interview during his visit to the United States.
- Russia captured approximately 890 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in 2026, according to Zelensky.
- Ukrainian Defense Forces deoccupied approximately 800 square kilometers in 2026, according to Zelensky.
- Russia's net territorial gain in 2026 was approximately 90–100 square kilometers.
- Russia lost approximately 260,000–270,000 soldiers for these 90–100 kilometers since the beginning of the year, Zelensky said.
- The 2026 figures are significantly lower than the 3,000–4,000 square kilometers Russia occupied per year in previous years, according to Zelensky.
- As of September 23, Russian losses in the war exceeded 1,522,440 killed and wounded personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Why it matters
The statement is a direct, attributed figure from Ukraine's president on the territorial balance of 2026 so far, offering a single quantitative picture of the front-line situation at this point in the war. Zelensky frames the year as a sharp slowdown in Russia's rate of advance compared with the 3,000–4,000 square kilometers per year Russia occupied in earlier years. He also attaches a cost — hundreds of thousands of Russian casualties — to those limited gains, a framing that recasts even a net Russian advance as a pyrrhic outcome.
What happened
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal during his visit to the United States, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had captured around 890 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in 2026, while Ukraine's Defense Forces had deoccupied around 800 square kilometers. The difference, he said, is a net Russian gain of roughly 90–100 square kilometers since the beginning of the year. Zelensky added that Russia lost approximately 260,000–270,000 soldiers for those 90–100 kilometers, and said the price for 100 kilometers is so high that Russia 'neither wins nor loses,' while Russian society is losing people and money. Zelensky noted that the 2026 figures are far below the 3,000–4,000 square kilometers Russia occupied per year in previous years. Separately, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that, as of September 23, Russian losses in the war exceeded 1,522,440 killed and wounded personnel.
Background
On August 12 Zelensky had reported 745 square kilometers liberated and 26 villages retaken in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts between January 29 and August. The September 'Vivaldi' Ukrainian offensive in northern Donetsk Oblast is reported to have cleared more than 125 square kilometers and liberated 50 square kilometers. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported Russian losses of more than 1,522,440 killed and wounded as of September 23.