Zelensky: If Putin wants to seize eastern Ukraine, he has to bury million of his soldiers

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin seeks to capture all of eastern Ukraine, his army’s losses in killed personnel would amount to around one million soldiers.

The President said this during a conversation with journalists, reports a Ukrinform correspondent.

Recalling his conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelensky said:

“What I told him has come true: the Russians will not take the east, and if they want to do so, Putin will have to bury one million of his own people. Because we understood how many he had already buried when he seized 30% of our east since the start of the full-scale invasion, and we can project what he would have to do to try to take all of Donbas or other parts of Ukraine.”

The President of Ukraine also noted that Trump has lost trust in Putin’s words.

“Putin lied to Trump. A person who truly wants and is ready for peace cannot keep intensifying strikes. This is an ultimatum through massive attacks. But ultimatums don’t work. We want a just peace — and that means there must be a just dialogue. And we are ready for the dialogue format that President Trump has declared. We are ready for a corresponding meeting,” Zelensky said.

As Ukrinform reported, the total combat losses of Russian troops from February 24, 2022, to October 8, 2025, in the war against Ukraine amount to approximately 1,118,370 personnel, including 1,010 losses recorded on October 7.