Russian President Vladimir Putin again threatened to achieve “all the objectives” of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine through military means, claiming Ukrainian authorities are “in no hurry to resolve this conflict by peaceful means.”
The Kremlin press service said Saturday, December 27, that Putin visited the command post of the Joint Group of Forces, held a meeting with the leadership of Russia’s General Staff and heard a report from its chief, Valery Gerasimov. The report, it said, included claims of the capture of the cities of Myrnohrad (which Gerasimov referred to by its former name, Dimitrov) in Donetsk region, and Hulyaipole in Zaporizhzhia region.
Addressing the military, Putin again accused the “Kyiv authorities” of having “unleashed large-scale hostilities, started a war” with Russia. He made similar claims a few days earlier during his annual “Direct Line” show.
Citing military briefings and the “pace [of the Russian advance] along the line of contact,” Putin said Russia’s interest in the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from “the areas they currently hold is essentially close to zero — for a variety of reasons.” He added that Russia would “achieve all objectives by military means” if Ukraine “does not wish to end this matter peacefully.” The comments came ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s planned visit to the United States on December 28 to discuss a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.
Ukrainian military: Russian claims about Hulyaipole and Myrnohrad “not confirmed by facts”
Ukraine’s General Staff called the situation in Hulyaipole “difficult” but said a defensive operation continues in the town. In Myrnohrad, the Ukrainian military said Russian forces “still fail to realize their plans to seize the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad agglomeration, so they resort to disinformation.”
The General Staff also called Russian statements about Kostiantynivka, Kupiansk and Pokrovsk “fabrications”: “It is obvious that Russian lies are primarily aimed at foreign partners and have intensified significantly precisely during peace talks.”
