"Putin Is Failing For The First Time."
- 18.02.2026, 13:57
The Ukrainian armed forces could drive the Russians into a stalemate.
Russian troops are facing an unexpected problem. The enemy is losing more military personnel than it has time to mobilize.
The enemy is already beginning to feel the shortage of personnel at the front." Military experts specially for "Channel 24" explained how the Defense Forces manage to destroy the occupants at a huge pace, what consequences this will have for Putin's army and what should be done to make Russian losses even greater.
How the Defense Forces manage to destroy so many enemies?
The West notes the high efficiency of Ukraine's use of drones on the front. In some areas, enemy losses are allegedly 25 times higher than those of the Defense Forces.
Military observer Ivan Tymochko noted that drones have indeed become a powerful weapon against the Russians, but scaling them up requires time and significant resources.
"Assessments of foreign partners regarding the large losses of the Russian Federation strengthen confidence in the actions of the AFU and contribute to the adoption of political decisions in favor of Ukraine," the military observer said.
Timochko also noted that weather conditions contribute to the results - cold and frost complicate the movement of the occupants, making them easier targets. In addition, the Ukrainian military takes into account the changing tactics of the enemy, which relies on infantry, and uses the acquired experience to predict its actions.
At the same time, the observer emphasized that it is important not only to destroy the enemy forces on the front line, but also to hit the rear and logistics, because it reduces its capabilities and presence in the occupied territories.
Can the AFU destroy 50,000 Russians every month?"
Lieutenant Colonel, head of the international military cooperation department of the command of the TrO Force Taras Berezovets said that the enemy is already beginning to experience a shortage of personnel. Previously, the enemy formation on the territory of Ukraine was maintained at a stable level of 710 - 711 thousand. However, over the past month, the Russians have not been covering their own losses.
"Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov's ambitious goal of destroying 50,000 occupiers every month has every chance of being realized. That will make it much more difficult for the Russians to continue fighting and conducting new offensives on different parts of the front," Berezovets is convinced.
We recall that Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov said that the destruction of 50,000 Russian invaders is one of Ukraine's strategic goals in the war. This should force Russia to make peace. At the same time, Volodymyr Zelensky said that such a task is difficult, but realistic and optimal for Ukraine.
For example, for December 2025, the occupiers lost more than 35 thousand personnel. This is the highest figure for the entire time of a full-scale war.
How can the AFU drive the Russians into a stalemate?"
The AFU reserve colonel, flight instructor and military expert Roman Svitan noted that the Ukrainian army should focus on a defensive strategy. The Russians are constantly trying to attack, so the Defense Forces need to create a kill zone of up to 30 kilometers to minimize the losses of our personnel.
"The ratio of losses can be 1 to 100. It is precisely to losses of this level that we should strive," Svitan added.
The enemy will continue to advance, the Russians themselves will climb into this kill zone, and it will be much easier to destroy them there. There are five options at once: mines, FPV drones, small arms, aviation and artillery. The example of Kupyansk was illustrative, because there the Russians crawled over to the right bank without creating a serious operational bridgehead.