Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that while Ukraine maintains control of the battlefield, the situation remains highly complex due to the scale of Russian forces and rapid shifts in drone and electronic warfare technology.

“As for the battlefield, the situation is not simple. It is complicated by the number of enemy forces, the number of drones, and changing technologies: today one type of drone is in use – one electronic warfare (EW) system works; tomorrow drones change, engines change – and other EW systems operate. What’s most important to understand is this: we are controlling the front,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. 

He dismissed claims of major Russian advances in eastern Ukraine, calling such narratives disinformation. “Russians are far better at disinformation than they are on the battlefield,” he said.

“They have more troops than Ukrainians – that is their advantage. Their strongest grouping is in the east, but they are in very difficult conditions,” he continued, adding that predictions of Russia occupying the entire east in a matter of months were “lies,” arguing that such an outcome would take years, if at all.

Zelenskyy also urged closer coordination between Western and Ukrainian intelligence, calling for daily consultations “directly from the battlefield” to counter Russian narratives.

The fighting in Ukraine’s eastern regions has intensified in recent months, with Russia massing around 150,000 troops near Pokrovsk and cutting key supply routes amid heavy bombardment. Ukrainian forces, however, have carried out counterattacks, including the liberation of Novomykhailivka and strikes on Russian command centers, even as Russian assaults and civilian casualties continue to mount.