Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday claimed that his country’s armed forces had destroyed as many as 2,500 Russian armoured vehicles, 1,000 Russian tanks, and almost 200 Russian aircraft since the beginning of the invasion on February 24.

Speaking during his nightly address to the nation, the 44-year-old hailed the achievement by Ukraine’s armed forces, but said that Moscow’s forces were continuing to mount attacks despite such staggering losses.

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“Of course, the occupiers still have equipment in stock. Yes, they still have missiles to strike at our territory,” Zelensky said.

“But this war has already weakened Russia so much that they have to plan even fewer military equipment for the parade in Moscow,” he added, highlighting the toll the fighting had taken on Russian forces.

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The “parade” mentioned by Zelensky refers to Victory Day celebrations in Russia on May 9, a day on which Moscow commemorates the USSR’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Earlier, reports had suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted his troops to achieve some sort of a victory in Ukraine by Victory Day, especially after Russian forces pulled out of several regions, including Kyiv, to focus on the ‘liberation’ of the Donbas and concentrate on taking strategic cities in southern Ukraine.

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Yet, a Russian ‘victory’ in Ukraine seems nowhere in sight, and the latest reports suggest that Putin may be looking to declare all-out war on Ukraine, something which he has thus far refrained from doing after he announced a “special operation” in Ukraine on February 24 to “denazify” the eastern European country.