Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that in 2025 his forces captured more than 300 settlements in Ukraine and said the Russian military can “increase the pace” along key fronts.
Putin’s comments about the Russian military’s “successes” in the war in Ukraine were carried by the state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
“This year, more than 300 settlements have already been liberated, including major cities that the enemy had turned into fortified hubs saturated with long-term fortifications,” Putin said.
The Russian president also asserted that Moscow has the capacity to “increase the pace of the offensive on strategically important directions.”
“The positions we have taken, the bridgeheads created over recent months, and the unique tactical and operational experience gained in breaking through the enemy’s deep defenses allow us to increase the pace of the offensive on strategically important directions,” Putin said.
He also mentioned the participation of North Korean soldiers in fighting in Russia’s Kursk region and said North Korean troops assisted in “large-scale demining work on Kursk soil.”
On December 15, analysts at DeepState published an assessment estimating how long it could take Russian forces to occupy Donbas.
They noted that over 44 months of full-scale war, Russian forces occupied 23% of Donetsk region and advanced 47 kilometers from Donetsk to Pokrovsk. By their calculations, Russia would need another three years to seize the rest of Donetsk.
On December 17, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russia had increased its force grouping to 710,000 troops to conduct a strategic offensive operation.
