Russian President Vladimir Putin took stock of the fighting in Ukraine in 2024, noting the pace at which his troops are advancing, Agence France-Presse reported. According to Putin, at the end of this "key year" Russia has the "initiative" on all fronts, BTA reports.
Ukrainian forces are gradually losing ground due to their weaker armament and lower numbers. However, the pace of losses has accelerated since the fall. In particular, Russian troops are now on the threshold of Pokrovsk, a major mining town and logistics hub in eastern Ukraine, which they have been trying to capture for months.
"Russian troops have the strategic initiative along the entire line of contact," Putin assured in his speech to the leadership of the Defense Ministry.
According to him, "this year Russia has liberated 189 settlements," Agence France-Presse reports, noting that Russian officials describe the captured Ukrainian towns and villages with the word "liberated".
"I would like to emphasize that the past year was key to achieving the goals of the special military operation," he added, again using the Kremlin-imposed euphemism for the attack on Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, speaking after Putin, said that Russia has seized 4,500 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory this year and is currently advancing at a rate of 30 square kilometers per day.
According to an AFP analysis based on data from the US Institute for the Study of War, the Russian army advanced 725 square kilometers deeper into Ukrainian territory in November, its largest territorial advance in a single month since March 2022. and the first weeks of its full-scale offensive.
Russia controls almost 20% of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea.
Kiev is doing everything it can to keep Russian troops in and is calling for more support from its Western allies.
But the continuation of this aid is not guaranteed due to the return to power in January of Donald Trump in the United States, which has until now been Ukraine's main donor.
Moscow and Kiev are trying to influence the Republican's position amid possible talks between the two countries that could begin next year.
Trump has already called for an immediate ceasefire and talks, so Europeans and Ukrainians fear that he could force Kiev to make major concessions and hand the Kremlin a military and geopolitical victory, AFP also notes.
Today, Putin again accused NATO countries of posing a threat to Russia.
"NATO countries are increasing their military spending. The alliance's operational groups have been formed and assembled near Russia's borders," he said at a time when NATO is strengthening its presence in Eastern Europe in the wake of Russia's attack on Ukraine.
The Russian defense minister believes that his army must be prepared "for all possible developments in the situation, including the possibility of an armed conflict with NATO in Europe in the coming decades."
Russia rejects the term "invasion" regarding its attack on Ukraine and believes that the aim of its offensive is to repel NATO, an alliance that Kiev wants to join but Moscow sees as an existential threat.
In this context, Vladimir Putin today again praised the significant increase in arms production in the country and called for this process to continue.
“All issues related to the mass production and deployment of national strike systems, including hypersonic systems, must be resolved,” he said.
Putin also indicated that Russian forces are starting to use systems assisted by artificial intelligence. “Soldiers are being provided with advanced robotic systems, some of which use artificial intelligence technologies,” he said.