President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia lacked the strength to mount large-scale new offensives, citing heavy troop losses after more than three and a half years of war.

“I believe that, as of now, they lack the strength for large-scale offensives,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X, adding that Russia had suffered such significant losses that it could not launch further major actions.

Both sides rarely provide figures on their own losses, and experts consider the few numbers mentioned significantly understated.

Mr Zelensky said Russia prepared operations this year along four axes: Sumy, Novopavlivka, Pokrovsk and Zaporizhzhya.

“The Sumy operation has already failed; Russia suffered heavy losses, especially in manpower, and has redeployed forces to other fronts,” he wrote, adding that Ukrainian forces had inflicted further casualties there.

In early August, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi had described the situation in the eastern Donetsk region along the front lines near Pokrovsk, Dobropillia and at the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region as particularly critical.

Mr Zelensky also said Ukraine expected the imminent delivery of missiles for Patriot and HIMARS air defence systems

Under NATO’s new Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List mechanism, Kiev has received more than $2 billion from partners, he said.

Further funds in October would bring the total to about $3.6 billion, with the first two $500 million packages expected to include missiles for Patriot and HIMARS systems.

PURL is designed to coordinate arms deliveries procured in the U.S. for Ukraine but financed by allied nations.

(dpa/NAN)