Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi summed up the first half of 2026 on July 10: Russia's offensive narrowed from 13 to 6-7 directions and its rate of advance was cut by more than half.
On July 10, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi presented a summary of the first half of 2026, and the picture he described looks markedly different from where things stood at the start of the year. According to him, Russia attempted to launch a large-scale offensive but failed to achieve a single one of its stated objectives, despite fielding nearly twice the personnel and equipment of Ukraine's forces. Volunteers Support Ukraine follows these half-year assessments closely, since the pace of fighting at the front directly shapes how many people will still need help, and what kind.
Where Russian forces once pushed actively along 13 separate operational directions, Syrskyi said, that number has now shrunk to at most six or seven. The pace of the enemy's advance has been cut by more than half thanks to Ukraine's active defense, and the two sides have effectively reached parity in how fast ground changes hands — with a growing trend toward Ukraine's Defense Forces reclaiming more territory than the enemy manages to seize. Volunteers Support Ukraine sees in these figures a reminder of just how grinding this war remains for both sides, and why support for those it displaces and injures stays as necessary as ever.
The commander-in-chief estimated that Russian forces are losing an average of around 32,000 soldiers killed and wounded every month. Direct and indirect economic damage inflicted on Russia is estimated at no less than $6.1 billion. Syrskyi also gave figures for Ukraine's long-range campaigns: over the past six months, the Deep Strike effort hit 697 targets on Russian territory, while the Middle Strike campaign struck 7,028 enemy objects closer to the front. Volunteers Support Ukraine notes that behind every one of these numbers sit both human and material losses that, in the end, shape how much longer this war continues.
Alongside the statistics, Syrskyi stressed the human side of the war: commanders, he said, are obligated to find a way to rotate personnel at least once every 60 days, calling it a matter of soldiers' life, health, and combat capability. At the same time, he warned against underestimating the enemy, saying a genuine turning point in the war remains far off and that Russia has not abandoned its goal of occupying the whole of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Volunteers Support Ukraine believes this kind of sober assessment — free of both euphoria and despair — helps the public understand just how long the road to peace may still be.
Volunteers Support Ukraine plays no role in military operations, but reports like this one are a reminder of why the organization's work has been needed for more than four years now. NGO Volunteers Support Ukraine helps people affected by the war in whatever way it can, with the aid it has available, and will keep doing so for as long as the need continues.
