Wangcai Qiuqiu: Land, Loss & China’s Human Cost

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One Casualty For Every Football-field-sized Patch of Land

By: Giorgio Provinciali

Although the pace of the Russian advance had even increased slightly compared to the previous year, it stalled in December, with progress about30% slower than in previous months. Given that impasse, the number of losses actually increased, so much so that President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that, for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow was losing more men than it could recruit. To be precise, the 43,000 expendables it collects each month from 128 countries at best are no longer sufficient today.

This definitively confirms the picture we’ve been painting from the field for months: that the Russians are short of manpowerdespite Kremlin propaganda to the contrary.

Capitalizing on a series of laws passed in November that allow reservists to undergo in rapid training to ‘protect Russian critical facilities’, Moscow has been throwing its reserves into the Pokrovsk meat grinder for at least two months, yet still has not captured the area as of early 2026.

There, the Ukrainian Armed Forces recently launched another counteroffensive that derailed Moscow’s plans, freed over 13 square kilometers of territory, and stabilized the flow of its logistics, including in nearby Rivne and Myrnohrad.

Russian attempts to breach those corridors and Ukrainian defenses north of the Pokrovsk railway remain unsuccessful. Moscow’s reservists continue to hide in small pockets there, resorting primarily to demonstrations and propaganda aimed at a domestic audience, consisting of planting a flag and holding out long enough to be filmed by a drone.

«They’re inventing successes» – Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, saidmocking Vladimir Putin’s lies about Myrnohrad, Huliaypole, and Kupiansk.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has hit rock bottom over the past few hours, publishing to false report and map about the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on one of Putin’s residences, which were twice edited to align with the Kremlin’s rhetoric.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has denied these fake news and the spread of other false claims about the Russian army’s alleged successes on the battlefield.

The defense of Huliaypole continues, with the destruction of Russian infantry groups; the Pokrovsk-Rivne-Myrnohrad agglomeration remains supported by Ukrainian logistics; Kupiansk is over 90% under Kyiv control; and Kostiantynivka – which Moscow claims is half under its control – is still held by Ukrainian defenders, who recently also thwarted a Russian assault in the Dobropillia direction, destroying a dozen enemy armored vehicles.

For the first time, the Ukrainian Coordination Center has revealed the number of Russian prisoners held by Kyiv: 10,000 soldiers. A figure made even more significant by the fact that more Russians surrendered in 2025 than in 2022 and 2023 combined.

As all the evidence on the ground demonstrates – and Zelensky has also confirmed – the Russian army has stopped growing in size. On the battlefield, it is not achieving the successes the Kremlin touts and then pursues through diplomacy, confining Russian power politics and expansionism to a bubble of lies.

There is one casualty for every piece of land the size of a football field occupied

作者：Giorgio Provinciali

Translation: Wangcai Qiuqiu

Ukraine Frontline Report

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For the past three years, we’ve been reporting from all fronts of the war in Ukraine as freelance writers, ever since the massive…

Lozova – In 2025, the Russian Federation’s casualties in Ukraine amounted to approximately 418,000 people. This huge price of bloodshed only resulted in an advance of 4,322 square kilometers, or the occupation of slightly more than 0.7% of Ukrainian territory. For every square kilometer of Ukrainian land occupied by the Russians, they lost approximately 97 soldiers, which translates to approximately one casualty for every area of ​​land the size of a football field.

(Image source: TopLeadEU)

Although the pace of Russia’s advance increased slightly compared with the previous year, it stalled in December, with progress about 30% slower than in previous months. Amid this stalemate, losses actually increased, with President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow was losing more people than it could recruit. Specifically, Russia’s monthly recruitment of 43,000 additional troops from 128 countries is now insufficient to meet its needs.

This clearly confirms the picture we have been painting from the front lines for months: Russia still faces a manpower shortage problem—contrary to Kremlin propaganda.

(Picture: Photo of me on the battlefield – Copyright, Giorgio Provinciali)

Taking advantage of a series of laws passed in November that allow reservists to undergo rapid training to “protect critical Russian installations,” Moscow has been throwing reservists into the meat grinder of Pokrovsk for at least the past two months, but has failed to capture the area as of early 2026.

There, the Ukrainian armed forces recently launched another wave of counteroffensives, disrupting Moscow’s plans, liberating more than 13 square kilometers of territory and stabilizing its supply lines, including in neighboring Rivne and Mirnohrad.

Russian efforts to break through the northern corridor of the Pokrovsk railway and Ukrainian defense lines remain unsuccessful. Reservists in Moscow continue to hide in small areas, mainly using display and propaganda methods aimed at domestic audiences, including performing flag-planting performances and holding on long enough to wait for drone filming.

“They are fabricating success” – Andriy Kovalenko, director of the Counter-Disinformation Center of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, ridiculed Vladimir Putin’s lies about Mirnohrad, Horyapol and Kupyansk.

(Picture: Alla walking with several Ukrainian soldiers in the trench area – Copyright, Giorgio Provinciali)

Russia’s Defense Ministry hit rock bottom in the past few hours, releasing a false report and map of a Ukrainian drone attack on one of Putin’s residences that was twice edited to fit the Kremlin’s narrative.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine rejected these fake news and other false claims about the alleged successes of Russian troops on the battlefield.

(Picture: Fake map released by the Russian Ministry of Defense – photo from “Moscow Times”

The defense of Horyapol continues, with Russian infantry groups destroyed; the Pokrovsk-Rivne-Mirnohrad agglomeration area remains under Ukrainian logistical support; more than 90% of Kupyansk is under Kiev’s control; and Kostyandivka, half of which Russia claims to control, is still guarded by Ukrainian defenders, who also recently defeated a Russian offensive in the direction of Dobropilya, destroying more than a dozen enemy armored vehicles.

The Ukrainian Coordination Center disclosed for the first time the number of Russian prisoners of war held in Kiev: 10,000 soldiers. The number of Russian troops surrendering in 2025 exceeds the sum of 2022 and 2023, which is even more important.

As all the evidence from the front shows – and Zelensky has confirmed – the size of the Russian army has stopped growing. Failure to achieve the successes on the battlefield that the Kremlin boasts of and attempts to achieve through diplomacy has thus confined Russia’s power politics and expansionism to a bubble of lies.

(Picture: Me in Lozova, before writing this article – Copyright, Giorgio Provinciali)