Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky mocks Putin’s failure to capture Donbas ‘15 times already’

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky mocks Putin’s failure to capture Donbas ‘15 times already’ Zelensky's warning comes as fuel crisis deepens in Russia and companies might have to sell lower quality gasoline and diesel - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Volodymyr Zelensky has ridiculed Russia’s goal to capture Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, saying that the attempt has been made by Russian forces 15 times and failed. “Since the start of the full-scale war, the Russian army has been given as many as 15 deadlines for capturing our Donetsk region. Russia’s political leadership remains obsessed with Donbas. They have entertained this delusion – that they would fully capture Donbas – 15 times already,” Zelensky said in his nightly address. He warned that Russian president Vladimir Putin will have to end the war or else watch the next deadline be moved once again. “If Russia does not end its war, they will have to move this deadline again as well. If Putin wants to sacrifice another million of his soldiers to keep smashing against this wall, then the million Russians who have not yet been mobilised into the Russian army and are arguing in gas lines should think about what awaits them next,” Zelensky said. In Russia, fuel crisis is deepening as officials may allow companies to temporarily produce gasoline and diesel with lower quality and allow lower quality imports amid Ukraine's attacks on its refineries. North Korea suffered 7,000 troop casualties fighting with Russia, Ukraine says North Korean troops have suffered more than 7,000 casualties while fighting alongside Russia, Ukrainian military intelligence. The figures is significantly higher than previously reported by British and South Korean intelligence agencies, which estimated around 6,000 casualties between August 2024 and March 2025. The updated figure, reported by Kyiv Independent, comes as Russia and North Korea deepen their military cooperation. Russia may allow lower quality fuel production and imports as fuel crisis deepens Russia may allow companies to temporarily produce gasoline and diesel with lower quality and allow lower quality imports, Kommersant daily newspaper said on Monday, as the country tries to ease the fuel crisis amid Ukraine's attacks on its refineries. The newspaper, citing a draft governmental document, said Russia may allow production of gasoline and diesel of the Euro-2 standard with higher sulphur content and which has been banned since 2013, for a year until July 2027, as well as allowing the imports. Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in the fifth year of the war, triggering widespread fuel shortages and price spikes as Kyiv tries to push Moscow to the negotiation table. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Sunday at a meeting with government ministers and other officials that Ukrainian drone strikes had triggered fuel shortages in some regions, but said Russia was dealing with them. Zelensky mocks Putin's military drive, says deadline to capture postponed 15 times Volodymyr Zelensky has ridiculed Russia’s goal to capture Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, saying that the attempt has been made 15 times and failed. “Since the start of the full-scale war, the Russian army has been given as many as 15 deadlines for capturing our Donetsk region. Russia’s political leadership remains obsessed with Donbas. They have entertained this delusion – that they would fully capture Donbas – 15 times already,” Zelensky said in his nightly address. He recounted mutliple deadlines Putin set for his troops to capture the region but has instead faced a war of attrition. “In 2022, the deadlines were 31 March, then 9 May, 1 June, 15 September, and 31 December. In 2023, Putin set two more deadlines for capturing Donbas: 1 March, and then, when that failed again, they moved it to 31 December. In 2024, there were again two such deadlines,” Zelensky said. He added that last year when Russians wanted to convince Trump that Ukraine would “supposedly fall”, they had set three final dates to completely capture the Donetsk region. He has warned that the deadline will be moved again if the war does not end. “If Russia does not end its war, they will have to move this deadline again as well. If Putin wants to sacrifice another million of his soldiers to keep smashing against this wall, then the million Russians who have not yet been mobilised into the Russian army and are arguing in gas lines should think about what awaits them next,” Zelensky said. In the weeks following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces initially tried to advance on the capital Kyiv, but when they failed to complete that advance they withdrew and focused efforts on capturing Donbas. Russia has captured all of the Luhansk region and large chunks of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Although Moscow's forces are slowly moving westward through Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials say the advance has slowed considerably while Ukraine steps up its campaign of medium and long-range drone strikes. I’ve fought Putin for 17 years – he’d rather watch Russia burn than admit he can’t win this war The huge losses now coming home to Russians every day will not bring a leader who runs his country like a prison yard to the negotiating table – if he shows weakness, he knows he will end up in a coffin, says Bill Browder. Putin would rather watch Russia burn than admit he can’t win this war Watch: Putin says Russia is ready for peace talks with Ukraine French prosecutor blocks suspected 'shadow fleet' tanker and releases captain A French prosecutor has ordered the immobilisation of an oil tanker suspected of being part of the "shadow fleet" Russia uses to ship oil and gas and to skirt Western sanctions on Monday. It comes the day after the Marseille prosecutor ordered Sunday the release of the ship's captain, who was held in police custody for two days. French authorities suspected the ship was sailing under a false flag. It was intercepted off Sicily on June 23, the prosecutor's office said. "This new action against the shadow fleet, conducted days after a similar operation by Britain, shows Europeans' determination," French president Emmanuel Macron said in a post on Instagram last week. The oil tanker was sailing from Primorsk in Russia and sailed under a Cameroonian flag. France has intercepted at least five tankers it says are part of Russia's shadow fleet, old vessels that Russia has relied on to ship oil and gas and to skirt Western sanctions. Moscow has called such actions illegal. Putin is asking for peace talks. It’s time to kick him while he’s down Putin is rattled and Trump needs a win – this is the chance for Ukraine and her allies to force the collapse of Russia’s army and push back against its land grab, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley. Why is Putin asking for Ukraine-Russia peace talks now? Recap: Ukraine launches one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia and Crimea Ukrainian forces launched one of their largest drone attacks on Russian territory and illegally annexed Crimea, with Russian air defences claiming to intercept 660 unmanned aerial vehicles across 12 regions, the Black Sea, and the Azov Sea during a major overnight assault on Friday. This significant barrage marks one of the most extensive drone operations targeting Russian regions and the occupied peninsula since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over four years ago. On Monday, Vladimir Putin admitted his forces have faced problems in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and said he was aware of fuel shortages due to Ukraine’s growing attacks. You can read more below: Ukraine launches one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia and Crimea In pictures: Ukrainians head to Dnipro river during heatwave amid Russia's invasion Why Russia is so desperate to take Ukraine’s eastern ‘fortress belt’ Russia is pushing towards Kostiantynivka, a vital stronghold in Ukraine's eastern "fortress belt" long sought after by the Kremlin, even as its gains across the rest of the 1,200-km front line have largely stalled. Fighting has begun to seep into the city itself. Small groups of Russian soldiers are attempting to infiltrate its outskirts, senior Ukrainian commanders said last week, suggesting close-quarters assaults could follow. Kostiantynivka is the southernmost of four key settlements forming a defensive line central to Ukraine's effort to hold the heavily industrialised Donetsk region. The push towards it underscores Moscow's enduring manpower advantage, even as Ukrainian mid-range drone strikes on logistics have weakened its fighting capabilities, analysts said. "The effect (of mid-range strikes) hasn't been so great that it would have forced the Russians to suspend their offensive," said Emil Kastehelmi of the Black Bird conflict analysis team in Finland. "So even though Russia has been taking increasingly heavy losses in the rear, they are still able to continue their offensives, at least in certain sectors." Kostiantynivka: Why Russia is so desperate to take Ukraine’s eastern ‘fortress belt’ Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments