Zelenskyy: Russians need four more years to occupy Donbas – Zelenskyy

It will take at least four years for Russia to fully occupy Donbas. This was announced at a meeting with journalists by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reports the correspondent of LIGA.net.

According to him, before talking about what Ukraine is ready for, we need to know what Russia is ready for. For example, with regard to the Donetsk region, at a meeting with US President Donald Trump, the head of state explained that since February 2022, Russians have seized about a third of it, not 69%.

The President clarified that the Russians currently hold about 67-69% of the territory. That is, in almost four years of full-scale war, they have occupied a third of the Donetsk region.

"That's why I explained that the stories that they will occupy our Donbas by the end of the year are all talk. That is, they need four more years to occupy our Donbas," Zelensky said.

• August 12 Zelenskyy says that Defense Forces will not withdraw from Donbas.
• US intelligence is divided in its assessment of Russia's military potential in Donbas. One estimate claims that the occupiers can capture the entire Donbas by October 2025. The other considers Russian military capabilities unconvincing and predicts a much more difficult struggle with unpredictable outcomes.