The scale of the fighting in Kyiv, Ukraine is reshaping how Russia sustains its war effort, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who says Moscow is now losing nearly as many soldiers as it mobilizes each month. Ukrainian leadership estimates Russian forces are suffering roughly 35,000 deaths per month, a sharp increase compared to approximately 14,000 during the same period last year.
Ukrainian assessments indicate Russia is mobilizing about 43,000 troops per month, but that number is being rapidly eroded. Officials say a significant portion of newly mobilized soldiers never reach the front, with an estimated 10 to 15 percent deserting, while others are wounded shortly after deployment. The result, according to Kyiv, is a force that is no longer growing despite continued mobilization efforts.
Zelensky points to Ukrainian drone operators and advancing drone technology as a central factor behind the shift. Precision strikes and constant aerial pressure are said to be draining Russian manpower at a pace that undermines Moscow’s ability to regenerate combat power. For Ukrainian commanders, the key signal is not just the losses themselves, but the fact that Russia’s army has effectively stopped expanding.
The implications stretch beyond the battlefield. If Russian manpower gains remain neutralized by sustained losses, the conflict enters a new phase where technology, endurance, and morale weigh more heavily than raw numbers. Ukrainian leadership views this balance as critical to holding the line and shaping the war’s longer-term trajectory.
