As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, the Kremlin has explicitly confirmed that its military objectives have not been fully achieved and that its “special military operation” will continue.
According to recent statements and battlefield assessments as of February 24, 2026:
Current Status of Russian Objectives
- Official Stance: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on the four-year anniversary that while “many” goals have been achieved, the operation remains ongoing because the primary objectives are unmet. Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region (Donetsk and Luhansk), as well as parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
- Territorial Control: Russia currently occupies approximately 20% of Ukraine. While it has seized a significant portion of the east and south, including a land corridor to Crimea, it has failed to subjugate the entire country or capture the capital, Kyiv.
- Strategic Failures: Western analysts note that Russia has failed to “demilitarize” Ukraine—which now has a higher military capacity than in 2022—or to “de-Nazify” (overthrow) the democratically elected government.
- Human and Economic Cost: Russian forces have suffered an estimated 1.2 million casualties (killed and wounded) since February 2022. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) describes this as the highest casualty rate for any major power in a conflict since World War II.Â
Ongoing Pursuit and Tactics
- War of Attrition: Russia has shifted to a strategy aimed at exhausting Ukraine’s capacity to resist. This includes a systematic campaign against energy infrastructure, which has reportedly damaged every power plant in Ukraine by early 2026.
- New Offensives: Russian forces are reportedly preparing for a new large-scale offensive in late April 2026, focusing on the Slovyansk–Kramatorsk and/or Orikhiv–Zaporizhzhia axes.
- Technological Adaptation:Â The Russian military is increasingly using “mothership” drones to deploy FPV drones deeper into the Ukrainian rear and is seeking alternatives to Starlink for communication following recent terminal blocks.
- Sabotage Campaigns:Â There is an ongoing escalation of Russian-coordinated sabotage and assassination attempts intended to destabilize Ukrainian society from within.Â
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that despite slow advances—averaging only 70 meters per day in prominent sectors like Pokrovsk—Putin remains unwilling to compromise, believing the Russian economy can support a protracted war indefinitely.