Ukraine winning war with Russia, retired U.S. generals say

World Ukraine winning war with Russia, retired U.S. generals say, as top Ukrainian commander says 370 miles retaken By Aidan Stretch Aidan Stretch Reporter Aidan Stretch is a CBS News reporter based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Read Full Bio Aidan Stretch June 9, 2026 / 2:47 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Kyiv — Several retired U.S. generals and the former director of a U.S. intelligence agency told CBS News they believe Ukraine now has the upper hand in the war with Russia.They gave that assessment to CBS News as Ukraine's top general Oleksandr Syrski said this week that his army has retaken 600 square kilometers — about 370 miles — from Russia so far this year. Syrski did not say where the gains occurred but said the fighting was heaviest in the country's southeast Oleksandrivka and Huliaipole areas."I would assess operationally Ukraine is winning in the context they are defeating enemy operational objectives, creating conditions for follow-on operations and preserving freedom of action," retired Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said in an email this week.Two generals agreed with Ashley's characterization, stressing the view that on the front lines, Ukraine was outmaneuvering Russia. Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at Russian positions in the Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, May 31, 2026. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images Military experts say the key factor driving Ukraine's recent successes is evolutions in its mid-range drone strike capabilities. Since 2023, Ukraine has developed an effective arsenal of short-range First Person View (FPV) drones that now cause more than 90% of Russian casualties, according to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And beginning in 2024, Ukraine has also effectively deployed long-range drones and cruise missiles that have targeted, most recently, military bases in St. Petersburg, more than 600 miles from Ukraine's borders.Until recently, finding drones to h...