Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian forces had captured almost 5,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in 2025. He declared that Moscow maintained full strategic initiative across all fronts of the ongoing conflict. According to him, the new gains account for nearly one percent of Ukraine’s total land area, bringing Russian control to about 20 percent overall.
During a meeting with senior military commanders near St. Petersburg, Putin marked his 73rd birthday by addressing Russia’s latest battlefield advances. He claimed Ukrainian troops were retreating across all sectors, despite fierce resistance. Furthermore, he dismissed Ukraine’s recent attempts to strike deep into Russian territory, asserting that such attacks would not alter the overall situation on the ground.
Putin Claims Major Battlefield Gains
“This year, we have liberated nearly 5,000 square kilometres of territory and 212 localities,” Putin stated confidently. He emphasized that Russian troops were consolidating their positions while continuing to push forward in multiple directions.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported the capture of two additional villages along the front line. Ukraine’s top commander confirmed that the active battlefront now stretches over 1,250 kilometres. However, Kyiv’s military dismissed Moscow’s recent offensives as unsuccessful, highlighting that Russian forces had failed to seize any major Ukrainian city in 2025.
Despite Russian claims, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that his forces had regained ground in several regions. Ukrainian troops have advanced near Dobropillia in Donetsk and reclaimed positions in the border Sumy region, where Russian troops had established footholds earlier this year.
Russian Army General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff, told the meeting that Russian forces were advancing in nearly all directions. He said the most intense fighting was taking place around Pokrovsk and towards Dnipropetrovsk. Russian troops were also pushing toward key cities such as Siversk and Kostyantynivka in Donetsk, while making progress in Kupiansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk.
Additionally, Gerasimov confirmed that Moscow’s forces were strengthening buffer zones in the northern regions of Sumy and Kharkiv to secure the border areas.
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