In December, the Russian Armed Forces (AF) took control of more than 700 square kilometers of territory and 32 settlements. This is a record for 2025, Head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin about the situation in the Northern Military District.
“(This) is the highest monthly promotion rate for the entire upcoming year,” Gerasimov said.
He noted that in total this year, 6,640 square kilometers of territory and 334 settlements were under the control of the Russian military.
On December 29, President Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the Kremlin on the situation of the special operations zone in Ukraine. According to the head of state, the Russian army is successfully moving forward, while the Armed Forces of Ukraine are retreating along the entire front line.
Previously, Mr. Putin said that the speed of the Russian army's advance on the battlefield had neutralized Russia's interests in the Ukrainian Armed Forces withdrawing troops from the territory under their control as part of the peace treaty. The President once again emphasized that if Ukraine does not want to “end things peacefully”, Russia will achieve its goal by armed means.
