Selenskyj: "Russia has not achieved any successes"

Russian war of aggression - Selenskyj: "Russia has not achieved any successes"

Almost two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the heads of state of both countries have each claimed successes in the war. At his major end-of-year press conference on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi referred to attacks along the front that had been repelled. "Russia has not achieved any successes this year," said Zelenskyi in Kiev. Moscow had still not been able to completely conquer the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, for example. Instead, Ukraine has largely regained control of the western Black Sea.

A few hours earlier, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the war to representatives of his defense ministry. However, he then presented the fact that the West had not succeeded in inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia in Ukraine as a success. The goal had been smashed by the "growing strength of our armed forces and arms production", Putin told military personnel and representatives from politics, church and society. In the war against Ukraine, "we can say with conviction that the initiative lies with our armed forces", the Kremlin leader claimed.

Putin: Problems in the Russian defense

Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, also once again accused the USA of having driven the conflict in Ukraine to war. He claimed that the West had only ever been interested in using the country as an instrument to destroy Russia. At the same time, he admitted that the war against Ukraine had highlighted problems in Russia's defense. Russia needed more drones, better air defense and a modern satellite communication system. Immediately before Putin's appearance, Russian air defense shot down a Ukrainian drone in the Moscow region, according to military sources.

Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the meeting in Moscow that Ukraine had now lost 383,000 soldiers through death or injury. The figures cannot be independently verified. Ukraine, on the other hand, currently puts the number of losses in the Russian ranks at 348,000 soldiers. This cannot be verified either. Neither of the warring parties has released official figures on their own losses.

Shoigu also said that the number of volunteers should increase by more than 250,000 to around 745,000 contract soldiers in the coming year. The Russians will continue to be lured into military service with a comparatively high salary of around 2,000 euros per month.

For Ukraine, on the other hand, the mobilization of new soldiers is an expensive and politically sensitive issue, according to Selenskyj. "The question of mobilization is a very sensitive one," said Selenskyj at his press conference. The army had requested 450,000 new soldiers. Additional mobilization on this scale would require around 500 billion hryvnia (12.2 billion euros). For him, it is also important who of the soldiers who have been fighting so far will be entitled to rest and home leave. A complex plan is being drawn up for this rotation.

Selensky remains confident

Selensky also expressed confidence that his country would continue to receive support from both the USA and the EU in the future, despite the current faltering of Western aid. "I am convinced that the USA will not betray us," he said. The head of state was also optimistic with regard to a 50 billion euro EU financial package currently blocked by Hungary: "We will find the means to obtain this 50 billion."

Ukraine is largely dependent on military and financial aid from Western partners for its defense against the Russian invasion. Its most important ally is the USA. From Kiev's perspective, it is therefore extremely worrying that the release of further funds by the US parliament is currently being blocked by a dispute between Republicans and Democrats.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyi did not want to confirm predictions that the war in his country would continue for a long time. "I don't think anyone knows that." The duration of the war depends on many factors, he added - especially on the Ukrainians themselves. "If we don't lose our resilience, we will end the war sooner."

Russia's army currently occupies around a fifth of Ukraine's territory and has annexed a total of five Ukrainian territories, including the Crimean peninsula, which was incorporated in 2014, in violation of international law. A Ukrainian counter-offensive, which aims to liberate all occupied territories, has only resulted in small territorial gains this year. However, Russian troops have also fallen far short of the Kremlin's war aims over the past two years and, according to experts, have suffered massive losses.