Russia is not winning in Ukraine – Latest News
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claims that victory in Ukraine is inevitable, and rejects any peace deal that doesn’t give him whole control of the japanese half of the nation, the Donbas.
Don’t consider it: Russia is not winning its struggle.
Russia has failed to overcome a smaller and poorer adversary regardless of practically 4 years of campaigning.
Its army is severely underperforming, and Ukraine’s defenses have slowed Russian’s charge of advance to a literal footpace.
Russia has seized 0.6% of Ukraine this yr, and has misplaced 1,000 troopers per day doing it.
The Russians can not maneuver or advance quickly.
They’ve taken no main Ukrainian cities since 2022.
They are combating for fields and small cities at extravagant losses that they’ll’t maintain.
Putin is solely nonetheless in the sport as a result of of Chinese, North Korean and Iranian assist.
He has convened an axis of evil and put himself on the heart of our enemies, strengthening all of them.
Yet they’re nonetheless not winning in Ukraine — and, if we maintain firm, they by no means will.
Some details that Americans, explicit doubters of Ukraine’s place, ought to keep in thoughts:
* Ukrainian drones have denied the Russians to make use of tanks and mechanized automobiles at scale, forcing Russian forces to deploy small, dismounted infantry models consisting of 3-5 troopers. Most Russian troopers die in droves to advance simply meters at a time.
* The Institute for the Study of War assesses that Russian forces gained 1,420 sq. kilometers since July 1, 2025 — a charge of solely about 13.5 sq. kilometers per day, properly under the norm for contemporary mechanized warfare.
Footage taken by Ukrainian Troops of a Russian BMP driving to a Designated Surrender level. Reddit / @DrNick1221
* Russian forces averaged roughly 71 casualties per sq. kilometer gained in May 2025; 70 casualties per sq. kilometer in June 2025; 75 casualties per sq. kilometer in July 2025; and 68 casualties per sq. kilometer in August 2025. These are horrifying numbers.
* At present tempo, and assuming Russia doesn’t face an financial disaster and may enlist enough troops — each huge “ifs” — it would not seize Donbas for at the least one other 3-4 years.
* Russia’s most profitable effort in 2025 was recapturing Kursk (the Russian oblast Ukrainian forces invaded in a shock transfer in August 2024) — an operation that trusted vital assist from 10,000 North Korean troopers, an embarrassment for Russia.
Until now, Putin has been in a position to maintain this struggle as a result of of large-scale recruitment with financial incentives.
The second Russian troopers give up with their armored personnel provider to Ukrainians. Reddit / @DrNick1221
But there are indicators that system is fraying.
Leaked Russian authorities paperwork point out that nation suffered on average 35,000 casualties per 30 days from January–September 2025.
Yet it is chopping down on one-time signing bonuses for new army recruits.
Russia might need to change to politically unpopular obligatory mobilization of reservists, which might increase inside dissent and threaten Putin’s management.
Map illustrating Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine as of January 1, 2025, and October 22, 2025.
This is all whereas Putin has mismanaged Russia’s economic system, which is affected by elevated struggle spending, inflation, labor shortages, and reductions in Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.
The liquidity portion of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund is down to $50.26 billion as of October 2025, down from $113 billion in 2022 — a lower of more than 55%.
Russia is dealing with important inflation from heavy authorities spending, with its key rate of interest at 16.5%.
The nation is dealing with a gasoline scarcity of 13% to twenty% of demand attributable to current Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, which US intelligence is supporting.
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Also credit President Trump’s sanctions on Russian oil corporations for stripping away this main income source.
In short, the Russian place is unsustainable in the long time period, which is why it is determined to persuade the White House, the West and its own home population that its superiority is written, so Ukraine ought to simply give up now.
Russia is reportedly rising its federal spending on propaganda in the 2026 price range by 54% in comparison with the 2025 federal price range.
It floods social media with bots and paid commentators to push a false narrative.
They play up minuscule battlefield advances as important wins to control our notion of the details.
The path ahead ought to embody not solely financial strain but additionally elevated army assist for Ukraine.
Force Putin to stop this struggle on our phrases, not his.
Jack Keane, a retired four-star normal, is a former Army vice chief of employees and present chairman on the Institute for the Study of War. Contributing to the article was George Barros, Russia Team Lead on the Institute for the Study of War.
