“We received plans for 2025–2027. They are already a little outdated. We see that they have not fulfilled their goals… We understand what they want,” the head of state said.
According to him, the Russians still intend to occupy the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Their plans also include new attempts to advance in the Zaporozhye and Dnieper directions, as well as in the Odessa region.
“But these maps, look, they have nothing to do with reality yet, because they cannot complete the task,” Zelensky said.
The spring offensive should have been based on the “foundation” of previous successes, but it is not, the president noted. The Russians have failed their end-2025 targets, he says.
“They cannot launch a March offensive – exactly the one they planned. I don’t know if there will be an offensive in the spring and when exactly. They want to attack, but do not yet have the strength to carry it out… Everything depends on contracts, on offensives, on weapons, on the supply of weapons to us, as well as on our production,” Zelensky concluded.
Context
On January 26, 2026, the “Agency”, with reference to data from the DeepState project, wrote that rate of advance of the Russian army in Ukraine fell almost threefold.
On February 6, co-founder of the DeepState analytical project Ruslan Mikul said that at the current pace of warfare Russia will need at least 742 days or approximately two years to completely occupy the Donetsk region. The expert noted that serious logistical problems of the Russian army significantly limit its offensive capabilities.
ISW noted that if Ukraine gives up the Donetsk region to Russia, it will lose the “belt of fortresses” that held back the invaders for 11 years. The “belt of fortresses” includes Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka, Druzhkovka and several smaller settlements. As it was written FT, it will be easier for Russia to advance deeper into Ukraine if its troops capture these cities – or get them, as the US has proposed, as part of a “peace agreement”.
On February 24, the Office of the President called Russians' new deadline for the occupation of the Donetsk region – until the end of March or beginning of April.
