MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (Dec 16) hailed his military’s accelerating advance in Ukraine and praised 2024 as a “landmark” 12 months in the midst of Moscow’s navy offensive on its Western-backed neighbour.
Addressing prime navy generals in an end-of-year assembly, the Kremlin chief struck a defiant and optimistic tone, claiming his troops had the higher hand throughout your complete entrance line.
He additionally hit out at what he known as a Western “hybrid conflict” and its makes an attempt to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Moscow.
The feedback include Russia’s military advancing throughout japanese Ukraine at its quickest tempo because the first weeks of the offensive.
Each Moscow and Kyiv are in search of to enhance their place on the battlefield earlier than US President-elect Donald Trump involves energy in January.
The Republican has repeatedly mentioned he may strike a ceasefire in hours, with out presenting a plan, and hypothesis about peace talks is mounting.
“STRATEGIC INITIATIVE”
“Russian troops are firmly holding the strategic initiative alongside your complete line of contact,” Putin mentioned within the televised assembly with military bosses and defence ministry officers.
He mentioned Russia’s military had seized 189 Ukrainian settlements this 12 months and known as 2024 a “landmark 12 months within the achievement of the targets of the particular navy operation”, utilizing Moscow’s official language for its marketing campaign.
Talking after Putin on the identical assembly, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov mentioned Russia’s troops had seized a complete of just about 4,500 sq km of Ukrainian territory this 12 months and have been now gaining round 30 sq km a day.
He mentioned Ukraine managed lower than 1 per cent of the japanese Lugansk area, and round 25 to 30 per cent of the Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas.
Russia claimed in 2022 to annex all 4, regardless of not having full management over any of them.
Russia’s military mentioned Monday it had captured one other small village within the Donetsk area, as a part of its newest advance.
AFP evaluation of the Institute for the Research of Conflict knowledge discovered that in November Russian troops superior at their quickest tempo since March 2022 – the primary full month of the offensive.
