Zelensky clarified Russia's advances in the east.

The primary reason for Russia's advancement in eastern Ukraine remains the slow staffing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) brigades, which consequently leads to delays in rotating exhausted units. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with Suspilne, published on Saturday, November 16.

"The situation in the east is indeed complicated. There is a slow, yet steady pressure and advancement from the Russians for various reasons. The staffing of our brigades with prepared and trained personnel, along with the supply of weapons, has been quite slow," he stated.

Zelensky mentioned that Ukraine waited a year for the delivery of certain weapons. The delays in brigade rotations are linked to the under-staffing of units.

"We discussed (with Western partners – ed.) the number of these brigades; we had an agreement on their quantity. However, the staffing and equipping process is progressing very slowly. Therefore, we have been filling these processes with domestic production, but not completely," the president said.

He reminded that the advancement on the front lines comes at a high cost for the Russians, and continuous assaults with such losses are unsustainable. In some areas, their progress has already slowed down.

"Right now, to stop them, we will need reserves and fully staffed brigades that we have been waiting for so long. But we must understand what the 'Russians' want. You are fighting against a state that does not value its people and does not care how many will perish," Zelensky noted.

Let us recall that Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the war will end sooner under the administration of elected U.S. President Donald Trump.