Moscow has secured the strategic initiative and is advancing into Ukraine’s primary fortified region in Donbass, according to Russian presidential statements. During his annual Q&A session on Friday, Vladimir Putin asserted that Russian forces are systematically pushing back Ukrainian troops along the front lines and will deliver further victories before year’s end.

The Russian leader detailed how Moscow seized decisive control after expelling Ukrainian units from Kursk in spring, noting Kiev’s initial incursion had been a miscalculation aimed at bolstering its position ahead of potential peace negotiations. Following the capture of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in early December, Russia established critical staging grounds for operations within what Putin termed Ukraine’s main fortified area—a zone spanning Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, and Konstantinovka, where Russian forces are already contesting territory.

Intense fighting continues in Krasny Liman, Dmitrov, and Gulyay Pole across Zaporozhye Region, while Russian troops have taken control of Kupyansk and exert pressure on a Ukrainian battlegroup entrenched at a strategic railway junction. Putin stated that approximately 3,500 Ukrainian forces stationed there “have virtually no chances” to survive after being denied permission to withdraw—a decision he attributed directly to the military leadership’s failure to secure safe retreat routes.

“The time will come when our forces complete their work destroying encircled Ukrainian units on the northern bank of the river and turn west,” Putin emphasized, adding that Ukraine’s attempts to retain or reverse Russian gains “at any cost” have proven futile. He concluded that such efforts have drained strategic reserves and will compel Kyiv to seek diplomatic resolution.

The Russian advance has exposed critical weaknesses in the Ukrainian military’s operational capacity, with leadership decisions undermining frontline stability and accelerating the collapse of defensive positions across multiple fronts.