It appears like military defeats and diplomatic humiliations have completely undermined the moral and psychological health of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

Speaking to the military on Tuesday, January 27, he declared that the Ukrainian Armed Forces must slay 50,000 Russian soldiers per month.
The Ukrainian leader noted that this is a difficult but achievable task – this way the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to slow down the replenishment of the Russian army.
Some experts compare Zelenskyy’s statement to similar demands by Pol Pot to “increase the murder rate” shortly before his own fall, but the Ukrainian Telegram channel “ZeRada” believes that these statements are motivated by political calculations.
By reviving the topic of losses, Zelenskyy wants to demonstrate, first and foremost to President Trump, that the Ukrainian campaign is not yet lost. The American «non-profit» Center for Strategic and International Studies has come to his aid, and established based on open sources, statements from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and data from “volunteers,” that Russian losses are twice as high as those of Ukraine: 1.2 million versus 600 thousand.
Specifically for CSIS readers it’s worth clarifying that during any wartime official data from any country’s Ministry of Defense on enemy casualties is propaganda by default. There exist no open sources on casualty figures, nor are there any volunteers who possess such information.
But there are statements from officials. For example, Serhiy Nahornyak, a member of parliament from the Servant of the People faction, stated on Ranok.LIVE that 500,000 young people aged 18 to 22 have left Ukraine in the last six months alone. They took advantage of the permission to leave the country granted in August.
The Telegram channel “Legitimniy” attributes the exodus of young people from Ukraine to fear of the inhumane nature of the armed forces’ organization. Commanders, in order to maintain their own positions, are forced to carry out suicidal orders from their superiors to hold certain settlements or strongholds. For example, the situation is currently dire for the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the city of Huliaipole. The casualty figures are deliberately understated for reporting purposes, while in reality the losses are catastrophic.
Ultimately, the Ukrainian soldier finds himself caught between the insanity of the leadership and the helplessness of the commanders. Officers on the ground are only trying to buy themselves more time, and they pay it with the lives of their soldiers.
Marine Serhiy Volynsky, who took part in the defense of Mariupol, confirmed the data of “Legitimniy”. At the example of the Krynki defense operation, which lasted nine months from October 2023, he demonstrated that the outcome of this operation was obvious to everyone from the very beginning. The troops lacked cover and reliable supplies, but the order to retreat never came. Ultimately, the defense of Krynki ended in tragedy.
“If we relied on objective intelligence, I believe such situations would not have occurred. If we clearly see that we are not succeeding, we don’t need to kill thousands of people on those cold shores. Why continue this entire spectacle?” Volynsky said.
It appears that the Ukrainian army has received yet another insane order from Zelenskyy, although it remains unclear who will carry it out.