Kathrine Frich
Ukraine’s leadership is openly defining what victory on the battlefield should look like in numbers.
While details of future operations remain secret, President Volodymyr Zelensky has outlined a target he believes could change the course of the war.
A monthly threshold
Ukraine’s defense forces must inflict losses on Russian troops at a level that prevents Moscow from rebuilding its army, Zelensky said, according to Ukrinform.
He described this as a realistic, though extremely difficult, objective.
“The task of Ukrainian units is to ensure such a level of destruction of the occupiers when Russian losses become greater than the amount of replenishment that they can send to the army every month,” Zelensky said.
He added that “when it comes to 50 thousand Russian losses per month, this is the optimal level.”
Why 50,000 matters
Zelensky argued that losses on this scale would force Russia to reconsider both its strategy and the purpose of the war.
He said such pressure would exceed Moscow’s ability to replace troops sent to the front.
The president stressed that achieving this level of attrition is a shared responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, the armed forces and all defense and security agencies.
He acknowledged the scale of the challenge, calling it “certainly a difficult task,” but maintained it was achievable.
Drones at the core
According to Zelensky, drones are central to reaching this goal.
He said success depends on unmanned systems of various types, detailed battlefield analysis and strong coordination between units.
The president highlighted the need to replicate the practices of Ukraine’s most effective drone units across the entire military.
At the same time, he warned that raw casualty figures cannot be the sole objective.
Beyond body counts
“The level of Russian losses cannot be the first and last key goal,” Zelensky said.
He emphasized the importance of controlling airspace along the front and striking enemy logistics, drone operators and command structures.
He also underlined the need to stay ahead of Russia in drone warfare, particularly in defending against Shahed attack drones and reconnaissance UAVs.
“Ukraine must maintain leadership and win in every cycle of technological development,” he said.
Comparisons and data
Zelensky noted that in December 2025 alone, Ukrainian forces destroyed 35,000 Russian troops.
He contrasted this with history, saying that during ten years of war in Afghanistan, the Soviet army lost roughly half of what Russia is now losing in a single month.
According to Ukrinform, Zelensky said more than 80% of enemy targets are currently destroyed by drones. Last year, Ukrainian UAVs struck 819,737 targets.
Sources: Ukrinform, digi24.
