Zelensky Says Russia Plans Expanded Mobilization Despite Battlefield Failures

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence has obtained internal Russian military documents showing that Russia’s General Staff acknowledges its inability to meet objectives set by the Kremlin, as Ukraine continues to degrade Russia’s offensive capacity.

On Tuesday, in a statement posted on Facebook, following a briefing by Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Zelensky said Ukraine’s Defense Forces are inflicting irrecoverable losses on Russian troops approaching 60% of total losses, undermining Moscow’s ability to sustain offensive operations.

Despite these losses, Zelensky said Russia’s political leadership is planning further offensives and preparing to bring in additional manpower, including through expanded mobilization inside Russia.

“Accordingly, Ukraine’s task is to further increase the share of irrecoverable losses inflicted on the occupier,” Zelensky said, adding that Kyiv will intensify drone deployment along the front line and scale up long‑range sanctions targeting weapons production and oil sector.

Last week, the EU adopted its 20th package of sanctions against Russia, further weakening Moscow’s war economy and increasing pressure to end its aggression against Ukraine. Since then, Russia has denounced such measures and accused Brussels of “economic coercion.”

Zelensky has also said Ukraine will brief its partners on intelligence, indicating that Moscow continues to develop plans for operations against NATO countries and is attempting to draw Belarus more deeply into implementing Russia’s objectives.

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Artem Dovbyk and Experts Share What to Expect From the 2026 World Cup

The Ukrainian football community has mixed feelings about the upcoming 2026 World Cup due to the realities of the war and the absence of the national team. Some call the expansion of the tournament to 48 participants an absurd and purely commercial decision. Among the favorites, specialists highlight France and Spain, while Artem Dovbyk surprised with his personal choice. Most analysts predict the elimination of the Swedish national team from its difficult group, where they see the Netherlands and Japan as leaders.

This comes amid reports of Ukrainian prosecutors finding a Russian-linked network dedicated to preparing international operations for assassinations, arson, and infrastructure attacks in multiple European countries, targeting public figures.

Ukraine has repeatedly warned that Russia’s war planning extends beyond Ukrainian territory and has called on allies to strengthen collective deterrence and pressure on Moscow.