Zelensky to Russia: 'You Have Already Lost' the War

Volodymyr Zelensky has told the Russian military that they have "already lost" the war in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president spoke directly to Russian forces during his nightly video address on Wednesday. He suggested that Ukraine's victory was assured in part because Russian President Vladimir Putin was failing to adequately sell the war to the people of Russia.

Zelensky mocked Russia's increasing use of Iranian-made kamikaze drones—which Ukraine has repeatedly reported shooting down—and said that the introduction of any new weapons would make no difference in the war.

"Now I will address the occupiers," Zelensky said. "Even if you find some other weapon somewhere in the world with the same 'natural' name for your 'Russian world,' like these Iranian 'Shahed,' with which you are trying to bomb our cities, such as Bila Tserkva ... It won't help you anyway. You have already lost."

Zelensky said that Russia had "lost" the war less than eight months after the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 because "you have to explain to your society why all this is needed: this war, the false mobilization and self-destruction of all the prospects of your people."

"When people feel they are right and when they are on their own land, they themselves know everything," he added. "They do not need fanatic lectures on 'alternative history' and political information sessions every day—either at a meeting with teachers, or at a meeting about the progress of seasonal harvesting work."

Zelensky went on to say that Ukrainians "know what they are fighting for," while Russians are increasingly "realizing that they must die simply because" Putin "does not want to end the war." He concluded that it was "obvious" Ukraine would eventually win the war.

While Putin claimed to have annexed four regions of Ukraine for Russia last week, the Russian military has recently suffered significant setbacks. A map produced by a pro-Russia Telegram channel on Wednesday indicated that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had recaptured a large amount of territory in south Ukraine's Kherson region in only four hours on Tuesday.

Counteroffensives in the eastern part of the country have also found significant success. During the past week, Ukrainian forces have retaken multiple occupied settlements and regained territory in areas that Putin previously claimed to be annexed.

Prominent figures on Russian state-owned television have responded to Ukraine's success by offering rare criticism of their own military, including Putin's mobilization of reserve troops. Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian TV presenter known as "Putin's mouthpiece," said this week that Russia should not expect "good news" amid the Ukrainian counteroffensives.

While most Russian citizens have supported the war in Ukraine, Russian opinion polling and research indicate that support for the military's actions has declined over the course of the battle, according to a paper published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace last month.

A survey published on September 29 by Russia's state-owned Public Opinion Foundation found that "unease" was the prevailing mood among 69 percent of Russians, a 34 percent increase over a poll taken only one week earlier. Military setbacks over the past week may have further soured the mood in Russia.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian government for comment.