Russia's military gains over the past three and a half years of full-scale war have been modest while its losses have been staggeringly high, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on Sept. 3.
Tykhyi's comments came in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who threatened to use military force to achieve his maximalist aims in Ukraine if a U.S.-brokered peace deal doesn't satisfy the Kremlin.
"It seems to me that if common sense prevails, it will be possible to agree on an acceptable solution to end this conflict. ... If not, then we will have to resolve all the tasks before us by force of arms," Putin told reporters in Beijing on Sept. 3.
Tykhyi took to social media to point out that Russia's military has achieved only limited gains in Ukraine — though Russian forces have incurred heavy losses.
"Russia is not winning and Ukraine is not losing," he wrote on X.
Tykhi then enumerated a list of Russia's battlefield 'achievements' thus far, including high troop losses, the destruction of the Russian economy, and the failure to capture any additional Ukrainian regional capitals since the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"Russia seized four Ukrainian administrative centers in 2014, while Ukraine retained control of 23; this figure remains the same today after 3.5 years of full-scale invasion," he wrote.
"Russia spends $1 billion per day on senseless war while Russian social infrastructure is in tatters and its economy is crumbling."
Tykhyi's comments echo those of President Volodymyr Zelensky, who told reporters on Sept. 3 that Russia has failed to take full control of Donetsk Oblast despite over a decade of fighting.
"Donetsk has become a very powerful part of our line of defense," Zelensky said, claiming that Russia has lost over 100,000 troops in the area.
"In four years, (Putin) has not been able to occupy even 30% of one region," he added. "If he goes further, it will take him years — and not just time, but also millions of soldiers."
Putin has publicly demanded that Ukraine drop its bid for NATO membership and withdraw troops from the eastern Donbas region — comprised of partially occupied Donetsk Oblast and almost fully occupied Luhansk Oblast — as a condition for a peace deal. Under this condition, several large cities now under Ukrainian control would have to be handed over to Russia.
During the 2014 Donbas invasion, Russian forces seized control of regional capitals Donetsk and Luhansk, and illegally annexed the entire Crimean peninsula — including occupying the region's major cities, Sevastopol and Simferopol.
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