Is Russia losing the war?

  • Thu, June 18, 2026 • 12:00 pm ET
  • virtual event

The Eurasia Center examines Russia’s mounting setbacks in its war in Ukraine and the implications for its warfighting capacity.

On Thursday, June 18 at 12:00 p.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center will host a virtual expert discussion on the mounting difficulties facing President Vladimir Putin and the Russian war on Ukraine.

For more than four years, the Kremlin has claimed that Russia’s victory against Ukraine is inevitable, however the battlefield tells a different story. In March and April of this year, Ukraine liberated more of its territory than Russia seized, and Moscow is reportedly losing up to 35,000 soldiers per month; as costs mount for the Putin regime, figures close to the Kremlin leader are said to be nudging him to end the devastating war. Meanwhile, Kyiv appears to be turning the tide; Ukraine’s drone dominance is stalling Russian advances as its long-range strikes against Russian oil refineries degrade Moscow’s wartime economy, and Ukraine is effectively stemming the flow of supplies to Russian forces at the front and to Crimea.

Ambassador John Herbst moderates this conversation analyzing the implications of Russia’s growing setbacks.

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Speakers

Debra Cagan
Senior Advisor, Eurasia Center,
Atlantic Council

Gen. (Ret.) Wesley K. Clark
Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe;
Board Director,
Atlantic Council

Ambassador Douglas Lute
Lieutenant General, US Army, Retired;
Former US Ambassador to NATO;
Board Director,
Atlantic Council

Moderated by

Ambassador John Herbst
Senior Eurasia Center,
Atlantic Council

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