Putin Claims Russian Forces Seized Nearly 5000 Square km of Ukrainian Land in 2025
Tawazon – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday (October 8) that Russian forces have seized nearly 5,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory so far in 2025. He claimed that Moscow now holds “complete strategic initiative” on the battlefield.
According to Putin, the gains represent about 1% of Ukraine’s land area, bringing total Russian control to nearly 20%.
Speaking during a meeting with senior military commanders near Saint Petersburg on his 73rd birthday, Putin said Ukrainian troops are retreating across all fronts. He added that Kyiv’s attempts to strike Russian soil “cannot change the course of the war.”
“At thi time, the Russian armed forces fully hold the strategic initiative,” Putin said. “This year, we have liberated nearly 5,000 square km of territory – 4,900 – and 212 localities.”
On the same day, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the capture of two additional villages along the front line. Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian commander said the active combat zone now stretches more than 1,250 kilometers.
While Putin spoke of Russian advances, Ukrainian officials in August had said that Moscow’s attempts to seize new territories had “failed,” noting that Russian forces had not captured any major Ukrainian city this year.
Nevertheless, Ukrainian sources have reported recent advances in the Donetsk region, particularly around the city of Dobropillia, near the key transit hub of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that his country’s forces have made progress in the border province of Sumy, where Russia is trying to create a “buffer zone.”
Russian Army General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces, told the meeting of top commanders that Russian forces were “advancing in practically all directions”. Ukrainian forces, he said, were focused on slowing the Russian advance.
He added that Russian forces are attempting to capture the cities of Siversk and Kostyantynivka in Donetsk, while also pushing forward in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Gerasimov noted that Russian troops are also establishing “buffer zones” in the northern regions of Sumy and Kharkiv.
Putin reiterated that Russia’s objectives in what he calls the “special military operation” havenot changed, saying it was aimed at “demilitarising and denazifying” its smaller neighbour.