Russia’s planned spring offensive has so far failed to achieve its objectives, with Ukrainian forces preventing large-scale breakthroughs and destroying significant amounts of Russian equipment, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Speaking to journalists, Zelensky said Russian troops have been unable to advance using armored vehicles and have instead resorted to small infiltration groups and constant assault attempts along parts of the front line, according to Ukrinform.
“The spring campaign, as it had been planned, drowned in this spring for the Russians; they were unable to advance,” Zelensky said.
“They are carrying out offensive actions, but they are all the same. They cannot break through anywhere – we are burning their equipment,” he added.
Infiltration tactics replace large-scale offensives
According to Zelensky, the inability to breach Ukrainian defenses with mechanized forces has forced Russian troops to rely on smaller-scale infiltration operations rather than coordinated offensives.
He noted that Ukrainian troops have continued to repel these attacks across multiple sections of the front, preventing Moscow from launching a major operation despite persistent assaults.
“Our warriors are destroying them,” Zelensky emphasized.
Shifting Russian troop deployments
Zelensky pointed to earlier Ukrainian successes as a key factor behind the stalled Russian advance, including operations around Kupyansk in 2025 and recent fighting in southern Ukraine.
He said Ukrainian pressure forced Russia to redeploy units between different sectors of the front.
“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 explained.
Russia still preparing further offensives
Despite the setbacks, Zelensky cautioned that Russia has not abandoned plans to continue offensive operations.
Ukrainian intelligence indicates that Moscow may attempt renewed attacks in several areas, including the Zaporizhzhia, Pokrovsk and Huliaipole directions.
“All of this will remain. After Kupyansk they will pull back – and then they will want Kupyansk again,” Zelensky remarked.
He also described Russian activity in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions as largely demonstrative rather than part of a serious offensive effort.
“What is happening in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions is just some kind of demonstrations; there are no forces there for now,” Zelensky noted, adding that Russian troops had been redeployed from those areas to the Donbas and later further south.
Intelligence maps show long-term Russian plans
Zelensky said intelligence briefings had revealed Russian operational maps marking territories Moscow intends to capture in the coming years.
He said these plans indicate that the Kremlin has no intention of ending the war.
“This shows that they definitely have no thoughts about stopping the war,” Zelensky stressed.
“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,” he added.
Zelensky argued that Russia’s continued investment in missile production rather than civilian infrastructure also points to preparations for a prolonged conflict.
Ukrainian forces advancing in the south
Recent Ukrainian operations have also reclaimed territory from Russian forces. Zelensky previously said Ukrainian defense forces regained control of roughly 400–435 square kilometers in southern Ukraine.
Separately, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces are maintaining defensive lines while continuing offensive actions in parts of the southern operational zone.
In a post on Facebook, Syrskyi said he had met with commanders leading combat operations in the area and reviewed the current battlefield situation.
He highlighted that Ukrainian defense forces are holding key positions, destroying Russian troops and gradually advancing while fighting to liberate settlements.
“Our priorities are the liberation of Ukrainian territory from the occupiers and saving the lives of our warriors,” Syrskyi wrote, adding that operational silence remains important for the success of ongoing military actions.