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Ukraine “Won the Battle for Winter,” Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi Says as Russian Losses Mount
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces successfully endured what he described as a decisive “battle for winter,” outlining heavy Russian losses and battlefield developments during an address published on March 2.
According to Syrskyi, Ukrainian defenders managed not only to withstand sustained Russian pressure during the winter campaign but also to stabilize key sectors of the front and regain ground in several areas.
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“We stood firm in this difficult ‘battle for winter’,” Syrskyi said.
He reported that total Russian losses over the three winter months amounted to approximately 92,850 personnel killed and wounded—an average of 1,031 casualties per day.
❗️🇺🇦Ukrainian Armed Forces engineering units are creating continuous defensive lines that combine wire obstacles and anti-tank ditches. Additionally, remote mining using drones is being employed. According to the General Staff, this system destroys up to 30% of the 🇷🇺enemy's… pic.twitter.com/h4m5cdcVQ3
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) March 1, 2026
During the same period, Ukrainian forces destroyed significant quantities of Russian military equipment, including:
322 tanks;
430 armored combat vehicles;
2,967 artillery systems;
110 multiple launch rocket systems;
55 air defense systems;
five aircraft;
one helicopter;
65,269 operational-tactical drones;
one ship and one submarine;
11,927 military vehicles;
65 pieces of special equipment.
Syrskyi emphasized that Ukrainian forces eliminated more Russian troops during the winter than Moscow was able to recruit and deploy to the battlefield.
“During the three winter months, we eliminated more enemy soldiers than the enemy recruited into its ranks,” he said.
The commander-in-chief also noted a shift in battlefield dynamics in February 2026, stating that Ukraine’s Defense Forces regained more territory than Russian forces captured for the first time since the Kursk offensive operation.
He said Ukrainian troops continue conducting effective offensive and defensive actions along several active sectors of the front, including the Oleksandrivske and Huliaipole directions.
Despite repeated claims from Russian leadership about progress near Kupiansk, Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces are instead strengthening control over the city and reducing the presence of enemy sabotage groups.
“We are conducting effective active operations on the Oleksandrivske and Huliaipole directions. Contrary to repeated reports by Russian leadership, we are only strengthening control over Kupiansk and reducing the ‘population’ of enemy saboteurs in the city,” he said.
Ukrainian forces also continue to hold defensive positions around the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad urban area, one of the most contested sectors along the eastern front line.
“We continue to restrain the enemy in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration area. We are holding the line,” Syrskyi added.
He concluded his address by thanking Ukrainian civilians and soldiers for their resilience during months of intense fighting.
“Thank you to Ukrainians for resilience and support for the army. I sincerely thank Ukrainian warriors, thanks to whom we endured this difficult winter. Glory to Ukraine!”
Earlier, reports emerged that Russia would need roughly a year and a half to fully capture the Donbas region—and could achieve that only at the cost of losing the entire Russian force currently deployed in occupied Ukrainian territories.
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
