The war of Russia against Ukraine could end in 2026, as for the first time the size of the Russian army has ceased to grow, declared the Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelenski in an interview given to Fox News.
According to him, in the previous years, Russia has mobilized approximately 43,000 people per month through the contractual service, but in 2025 the situation changed. For the first time, the number of recruits in the Russian army equaled the number of losses, which led to the cessation of the growth of the total size of the forces.
“This year, for the first time, the number of mobilized people and the number of losses are identical. Therefore, 2025 was the first year in which the number of the Russian army ceased to grow. So, we believe that in 2026, with God’s help, we will stop the war. Otherwise, Putin will decide to mobilize people. Now he has contracts, as his nation does not respect mobilization,” Zelenski declared.
Due to the heavy losses suffered in the Pokrovsk sector, the Russian command began to form assault units composed of women, notes RBC Ukraine.