Zelensky: Ukraine Expects 30,000 Russian Occupiers to Be ‘Eliminated’ in August

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine expects at least 30,000 Russian troops to be “eliminated” in August as Kyiv reinforces the Sloviansk and Kostiantynivka directions. “I expect that now, in August, there will be no fewer than 30,000 eliminated occupiers,” Zelensky said in his evening address on Friday, Aug. 14.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The statement followed a battlefield report from Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi. “We determined the steps and resources needed to strengthen the Sloviansk and Kostiantynivka directions,” Zelensky said. According to the president, Ukrainian forces are countering Russian assaults and attempts to infiltrate their defensive positions. Earlier this week, Zelensky said Ukrainian troops had restored control over 26 settlements in the Oleksandrivka direction. He also said decisions taken since last autumn had allowed Ukraine to move toward a “significantly more technological defense,” relying increasingly on drones and other unmanned systems. Russia’s gains are not irreversible The 30,000 target reflects Ukraine’s strategy of using technology to impose heavy losses on Russian forces while slowing their advance. Sloviansk and Kostiantynivka remain key parts of Ukraine’s defensive belt in Donetsk Oblast, making reinforcement of those sectors critical. The recent recapture of settlements also challenges Moscow’s effort to portray occupied Ukrainian territory as irreversible. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine’s International Register of Damage Opens 2 New Damage Claim Categories The new categories allow authorities to file claims for evacuation, temporary housing, medical care and demining costs tied to Russia’s war. At a UN Security Council meeting on July 9, Ukraine’s Deputy Permanent Representative Volodymyr Pavlichenko said a Russian recruit could expect to survive only 10 days to three weeks from arrival at a training center to death on the battlefield. He said Russia lost more than 30,000 troops in May and about 28,000 in June. Sevinj Osmanqizi is an experienced journalist who writes extensively for Kyiv Post on foreign policy, international security and geopolitics. Based in Washington, D.C., her work focuses on Ukraine, Russia’s war and the broader post-Soviet space.