Spring offensive by Russia already failed - Zelenskyy
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Russian forces are currently unable to advance with heavy equipment and are only attempting small-group infiltrations. At the same time, Russia shows no intention of ending the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a conversation with journalists.
"The spring campaign, as planned, has completely failed for the Russians this spring. They could not advance. They are carrying out offensive actions, but they are all the same — attempts at infiltration and similar tactics. They cannot break through with equipment — we destroy their machinery," Zelenskyy said.
He added that the occupiers do not have any large-scale operations, although on various parts of the front they still attempt to act using infiltration tactics and repeated assaults. Ukrainian soldiers continue to neutralize these attempts.
The president noted that among the reasons for the failure of the Russian offensive were the successful operation in Kupiansk in 2025 and this year’s operation in the south of Ukraine.
"We saw them start moving troops from the Donetsk direction to here [the south] because they were afraid that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would advance beyond those 430 kilometers," Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, he emphasized that Russian failures do not mean they have abandoned plans to continue their aggression.
According to the president, there is information that the occupiers will try to continue offensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia, Pokrovske, and Huliaipole directions.
"All of this will continue. After Kupiansk, they will withdraw and then want to return to Kupiansk. These are completely predictable moves. What is happening in Sumy and Chernihiv regions is just demonstrations — they currently don’t have the forces there. They moved everyone from there to Donbas, and then from Donbas to Huliaipole, to the south. For now, that’s the situation," Zelenskyy added.
He also said that intelligence had shown him Russian maps marked in red, indicating areas they aim to capture in 2026–2027.
"This shows that they have no thoughts of stopping the war. Why do we react to the words of one leader or another, claiming Putin wants to end the war? He does not. Otherwise, his maps would be different. Funds should be directed to infrastructure, not to increasing missile production," the president stressed.
Spring offensive by Russia
Previously, it was reported that Russian forces have intensified offensive actions in certain parts of the front in recent weeks.
A notable increase in attacks has been observed in the Zaporizhzhia direction, where the intensity of assaults in some areas has even exceeded levels seen in one of the most tense front sections — the Pokrovske area.
According to DeepState, the Russian command is also regrouping forces and replenishing reserves. Analysts suggest that these actions may be linked to changing weather conditions and the emergence of dense vegetation, which could affect frontline combat tactics.
