Zelenskyy: 'Toxic atmosphere' surrounds Putin as Russian casualties mount

Ukrainian president says Kremlin leader is being blamed by his own top team for growing casualties

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed there is a "toxic atmosphere" within Vladimir Putin's inner circle as Russia continues to suffer heavy losses on the battlefield.

The Ukrainian president said his military's recent strikes deep inside Russian territory have unsettled the Kremlin — including those close to Putin himself. According to Zelenskyy, the Russian leader is increasingly being blamed by his own top team for the mounting casualty figures.

In his nightly video address to the Ukrainian people, Zelenskyy stated:

"The situation on the front, together with our long-range sanctions and mid-range strikes, is creating a new atmosphere around Putin. A very toxic atmosphere. He alone is the reason this war began and hasn't ended. Putin alone is responsible for the losses Russians continue to suffer.

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"His retinue understands this – they are signalling it to us and to our partners. Russian society is beginning to feel it more and more as well. We need decisions to bring about peace."

Casualty Estimates

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that Russia has suffered:

• 1.4 million battlefield casualties
• 450,000 deaths

Since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Diplomatic Developments

Zelenskyy's remarks came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for negotiations over the war in Ukraine.

The meeting was intended to revive diplomatic efforts, following Donald Trump's earlier pledge to end the conflict within the first 24 hours of his second term. Trump reportedly lost interest earlier this year after triggering a direct war with Iran.

Key Points from the Meeting

• Lavrov told the American team it is "unacceptable" for the US to arm Ukraine via a NATO scheme
• Lavrov claimed Russia remains committed to proposals Trump put forward in 2025 during his meeting with Putin in Alaska
• Trump had suggested Ukraine should make major concessions in the name of peace — a position Kyiv has consistently rejected

Rubio's Response

Rubio described his conversation with Lavrov as "frank" and characterised Putin's invasion as a "bloody war."

He noted:

"Russia is now suffering strikes deep in its territory, that's something we didn't see [before]. At the end of the year, winter is still going to hit Ukraine, they're obviously going to have to defend their airspace and there are people suffering every day."

Rubio also stated that Russia is losing "upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers a week," with the killed-in-action rate exceeding the casualty rate.

"We want the war to end, we're prepared to play whatever positive role we can to end the war," Rubio said. "It will require something that both Russia and Ukraine can agree to, that's not going to happen at a press conference, that's not going to happen at one meeting here in the Philippines, that's going to require a lot of work."

He added: "We've invested in the past in it, it was unsuccessful, at least unfruitful at the time, if conditions and factors have changed to make it possible we're ready to go."