President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine successfully prevented a large-scale offensive that Russia had planned for the end of 2025.
Speaking in an interview with CNN, Zelensky explained that Russia had prepared an operation intended to extend into the spring of 2026.
“They had prepared this offensive. Our countersteps, parallel measures, were designed to prevent Russia from launching a massive attack on the battlefield,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president added that the counteroffensive, launched by Ukraine at the end of 2025, regained control of 434 kilometers of territory.
“This isn’t just about our actions on the battlefield. It’s also about drones and our UAV operations,” he noted, referring to the use of FPV and other drone systems.
Zelensky claimed that Russia lost 30,000–35,000 troops per month on the battlefield due to Ukraine’s drone operations.
“It’s not about deep strikes alone. It’s about our forces, our army. We prepared for offensive operations, halted their plans, and inflicted significant losses on Russian troops,” he emphasized.
