Zelenskyy made the statement after a briefing from Defense Intelligence (HUR) chief Oleh Ivashchenko. The documents indicate a change in the ratio of killed to wounded among Russian forces: of total casualties, about 62% are killed and 38% are wounded, Zelenskyy said. Classified Russian reports cited put Russia’s total “irrecoverable” losses at about 1,315,000 killed and seriously wounded; Kyiv believes those figures are understated, he added.
The president said Ukraine’s intelligence service is also analyzing Russian intentions to exploit the U.S.–Israeli operation in Iran to divert U.S. attention and resources away from the Russo–Ukrainian war. He said Moscow’s likely calculation is to increase the risks of a prolonged war in the Middle East to weaken international pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, win relief from partners’ sanctions and gain resources through oil and gas price swings.
“There are indications they intend to speak about a full lifting of energy sanctions,” Zelenskyy said.
At the WEF in January, Zelenskyy said Russia’s monthly death toll had risen over the year from about 14,000 to about 35,000. He said Russia was mobilizing 40,000–43,000 people a month but had begun losing about 45,000.
In February, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi
told Le Monde that in 2025 Russia’s losses exceeded the number of recruits
mobilized.