• Ukrainian military chief reports that Russian forces captured less territory in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, despite high losses.
• Independent military analysts confirm slow progress by Russian troops in Ukraine this year, with Ukrainians managing to recapture almost as much territory as they have lost.
• Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev claims 210,000 Russians signed up for the war in Ukraine in the first half of 2026, but analysts question these figures as the number of volunteers fell by a third despite record bonuses.

Ukraine's military chief said on Friday that the Russian armed forces had captured less than half as much Ukrainian territory in the first half of 2026 as in the same period a year earlier despite suffering extremely high losses.

Russia planned a large-scale offensive but achieved virtually none of its stated goals, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on Telegram on Friday.

Independent military analysts have confirmed slow progress by Russian troops this year.

According to Syrskyi, Ukrainians have recently managed to recapture almost as much territory as they have lost elsewhere.

He put Russia's losses at just under 32,000 dead or seriously wounded per month. These claims cannot be independently verified. Kiev's goal is to inflict higher losses on Russian units than Moscow can sustain with reinforcements.

According to Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev, 210,000 Russians signed up for the war in Ukraine in the first half of 2026. Analysts have questioned these figures.

The number of volunteers fell by a third in 2026 despite record bonuses, according to the independent portal Verstka, meaning a figure of below 30,000 per month.

Videos on social networks recently caused an outcry showing men being forcibly recruited for military service in the provincial city of Penza. Problems with recruitment had previously been known only in Ukraine.