---
title: "Zelensky in WSJ interview: over nine months of 2026, Russia advanced only 90–100 sq. km at the cost of 270,000 casualties"
description: "In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Zelensky stated that over nine months of 2026 Russia advanced only 90–100 sq. km at the cost of 260,000–270,000 casualties, while the Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated 800 sq. km. Kyiv is also ready for an energy truce."
date: 2026-09-23T14:46:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelensky-wsj-territorial-dynamics-2026
tags: [ukraine, zelensky, russia, territory, wsj-interview, energy-ceasefire, war-losses]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Zelensky in WSJ interview: over nine months of 2026, Russia advanced only 90–100 sq. km at the cost of 270,000 casualties

![Volodymyr Zelensky in WSJ interview on Russia's 2026 advances and heavy battlefield losses](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/23/zelensky-wsj-territorial-dynamics-2026/zelensky-wsj-territorial-dynamics-2026-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Over nine months of 2026, Russia occupied 890 sq. km, while the Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated 800 sq. km — Moscow's net gain is just 90–100 sq. km
- Russia's pace of advance has dropped from 3,000–4,000 sq. km per year to about 100 sq. km over nine months
- According to Zelensky, Russian army losses since the start of the year amount to 260,000–270,000 servicemen
- Ukraine is ready for an energy truce and allows for direct talks between Zelensky and Putin

In an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky provided a detailed assessment of the dynamics at the front over the first nine months of 2026. According to him, since the beginning of the year the Russian army has occupied 890 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, while the Defense Forces liberated 800 square kilometers over the same period. Moscow's net advance thus amounts to just 90–100 square kilometers — a figure the head of state described as "nearly static" compared to previous campaigns.

### The pace of the offensive has dropped by a factor of several

Zelensky emphasized that in previous years the Russian army occupied between 3,000 and 4,000 square kilometers per year. The current pace — around 100 square kilometers over nine months — indicates, in his assessment, that on the battlefield "almost everything is standing still." The President noted that to achieve such minimal territorial results, Moscow paid a colossal price: since the start of 2026, Russian army losses have amounted, according to his data, to approximately 260,000–270,000 servicemen.

### "He is not winning, but he is not losing either"

Commenting on the Kremlin's strategic logic, Zelensky stated that for Moscow, human losses in themselves do not mean defeat, but the overall picture at the front is "unfavorable for Putin." "He is not winning, but he is not losing either, because for him human losses do not mean defeat," the President emphasized, pointing out that the Russian side continues to wage war by relying on numerical superiority in manpower rather than on tactical successes.

### An energy truce and the possibility of direct talks

In the same interview, Zelensky stated that Ukraine is ready for so-called energy truce: Kyiv will refrain from shelling Russian energy facilities on the condition that Moscow stops strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. In addition, the President allowed for the possibility of direct talks with Vladimir Putin, emphasizing that the main criterion for any meeting should be a concrete result, not a symbolic gesture.

### Context and methodology of the figures

The data cited by Zelensky — 890 sq. km of occupation, 800 sq. km of de-occupation, and 260,000–270,000 losses — are an assessment by the Ukrainian side, voiced in the format of a presidential interview. Independent verification of territorial changes under conditions of ongoing hostilities remains extremely difficult, and loss figures, as a rule, vary significantly depending on the source. Nevertheless, the order of magnitude stated in WSJ is consistent with the trend that Western analytical centers have been recording since the start of 2026: a sharp slowdown in the pace of the offensive by both sides on most sections of the front.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Zelensky: Ukrainian Defense Forces de-occupied 800 sq. km of territory in 2026](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zelenskiy-zsu-deokupuvali-800-kv-km-teritoriy-1790174534.html) - Подтверждает цифру 800 кв. км деоккупации и ссылается на интервью WSJ. Совпадает с основным текстом.
- [Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated 800 sq. km since the start of the year – Zelensky](https://news.liga.net/war/news/vsu-osvobodili-800-km2-s-nachala-goda-zelenskii) - Независимо подтверждает 800 км² и период «с начала года». Нет расхождений с основным текстом.
- [Defense Forces liberated 800 sq. km since the start of 2026, – Zelensky](https://censor.net/ru/news/4024908/deokkupatsiya-territorii-ukrainy-s-nachala-2026-goda-rasskazal-zelenskiyi) - Третье подтверждение цифры 800 км². Формулировка «с начала 2026 года» согласуется.
- [Ukraine liberated 800 sq. km of territory since the start of 2026, — Zelensky](https://focus.ua/voennye-novosti/768794-deokkupaciya-territoriy-skolko-zemli-vsu-osvobodili-ot-okkupantov-za-2026-god) - Четвёртое подтверждение. Все четыре источника сходятся в ключевой цифре и атрибуции заявления.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How much territory has Russia occupied since the start of 2026, according to Zelensky?
**A:** According to the President's statement in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, since the start of 2026 the Russian army has occupied 890 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.

### Q: What net territorial gain has Russia achieved over nine months of 2026?
**A:** Zelensky estimates Russia's total advance at 90–100 square kilometers: 890 sq. km of occupation minus 800 sq. km liberated by the Defense Forces.

### Q: How many losses has the Russian army suffered since the start of 2026?
**A:** According to Zelensky, Russian army losses since the start of the year amount to approximately 260,000–270,000 servicemen. The figure is an assessment by the Ukrainian side and has not been confirmed by independent sources.

### Q: What is the "energy truce" mentioned by Zelensky?
**A:** It is a Ukrainian proposal: Kyiv will refrain from shelling Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The initiative was voiced in the same WSJ interview.

### Q: Is Zelensky ready for direct talks with Putin?
**A:** The President allowed for the possibility of direct talks, emphasizing that the main condition should be the concrete effectiveness of the meeting, not its symbolic significance.