President says how many territories have been returned to Ukrainian control since the beginning of the year

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the Ukrainian Defence Forces have liberated about 590 square kilometres of territory since the beginning of 2026. He said this in his video message, stressing that the situation on the front was changing in Ukraine's favour.

According to the head of state, Ukrainian positions are now stronger than in previous years, and the trends are "definitely not in favour of the occupier". He noted that the build-up of losses of the Russian army continues, which, together with the sanctions pressure, in his opinion, should push Russia towards diplomacy.

Since the beginning of the year, 590 kilometres of our territory have been liberated and are under control. We continue to increase the rate of destruction of Russian personnel," Zelensky said.

The president also said he had passed intelligence on Russia's military and political plans to France, Britain and Germany. According to him, it is now important to intensify diplomatic efforts and identify possible formats for negotiations with the participation of the US.

I expect a response from the US side as well - on possible formats and the schedule of meetings," he added.

Against the backdrop of the President's statements, disputes about the situation on certain parts of the front continue. A number of reports about the alleged full occupation of some populated areas have been denied by the Ukrainian military, which claims that it continues to hold its positions and conduct combat operations.