The Ukrainian leader claims that this year Russia has lost over 150,000 soldiers in the war, but Moscow is planning to conscript an additional 300,000 after next month's parliamentary elections.
On Sunday, 23 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed and warned about the military situation and the war’s direction with Russia, amid fierce reciprocal attacks between the two sides, while Ukraine faces a severe shortage of intercept missiles.
Zelensky stated that Russia plans to draft at least 300,000 more soldiers after next month's parliamentary elections to try to fully control the Donbas region, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in eastern Ukraine, by the end of this year, focusing conscription more on smaller towns than major cities.
Ukraine also estimates that since early 2026, Russia has lost over 267,000 personnel, including about 155,000 deaths, and Zelensky is confident that the Ukrainian military can also destroy this new force of 300,000 soldiers.
On the frontline, Ukraine currently holds and defends about 20% of Donetsk province, including key strategic cities like Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Additionally, there is close monitoring of weapons buildup along the northern border near Kharkiv and Sumy provinces.
Zelensky further revealed that Ukraine’s supply of U.S.-provided Patriot air defense missiles has drastically decreased, dropping from 675 units in 2023 to an estimated 264 this year. The Patriot system is the only Ukrainian defense capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
The Ukrainian leader stated that if the U.S. agrees to share just 10% of its Patriot missile reserve, Ukraine is ready to pay for them, as they would significantly save civilian lives and improve the frontline situation.
Over the past four years of war, Ukraine has been developing its own long-range drones and cruise missiles to destroy Russian missile launch sites and weapons factories inside Russia.
Additionally, Ukraine has sought to use satellite imagery from Starlink satellites over Russia, but Elon Musk has expressed concerns that this might escalate the conflict and prefers a swift end to the war.
Zelensky views the timeframe for peace negotiations extending until late next summer, before the U.S. presidential election campaign begins, with U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner working to finalize a one-page summary of viable options for joint discussion among all parties.
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Source:cnn