Zelensky tells UN: Russia's war is 'madness' as losses mount

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Debate that Russia's war effort is "madness," citing nearly 250,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded to gain only 1,000 square kilometers of territory this year. Zelensky's casualty figures cannot be independently verified but align with Western intelligence estimates, which suggest over one million total Russian casualties since the war began, roughly double Ukraine's losses. He argued Putin alone wants the war, sacrificing hundreds of thousands of lives to fail in eastern Ukraine for nearly five years. Zelensky also warned against North Korea's growing involvement, criticized the EU for easing sanctions on Russian billionaires, and justified Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. He called on China to push for peace and warned that AI-controlled drones could soon decide battlefield outcomes.