Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Dec. 17, claimed that Russian forces have seized the strategic initiative along the entire front line in Ukraine, while pledging to expand Moscow’s so-called security buffer zone and continue developing new weapons systems.
Speaking at a meeting of Russia’s Defense Ministry board, Putin said 2025 marked a “significant milestone” in the broader military campaign.
According to him, Russian troops have occupied more than 300 settlements this year and are capable of accelerating offensive operations in “strategically important areas” of the front.
“The Russian Armed Forces are grinding down the enemy, including its elite units trained in Western military centers,” he said.
Putin also highlighted naval modernization, claiming that the Russian Navy has received new submarines as well as 19 surface ships and auxiliary vessels in 2025.
He said Russia has successfully tested its Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone, stressing that the systems “already exist” and would continue to be improved.
Another system, the Oreshnik missile, will be placed on combat duty by the end of the year, he added.
At the same time, Putin dismissed warnings of a potential Russian attack on Europe as “lies and nonsense,” accusing European politicians of fueling hysteria and “driving fears into people’s heads” about an inevitable confrontation with Russia.
Despite those denials, he reiterated that Moscow intends to expand a security buffer zone inside Ukraine and insisted that “the goals of the SVO will be achieved,” using the Kremlin’s term for the full-scale invasion.
Putin also claimed that the previous US administration had deliberately escalated the war in Ukraine.
“The US and the ‘European piglets’ were confident they would destroy Russia in a short period of time,” he said.
Putin asserted that Russia’s nuclear shield is more advanced than that of any other nuclear power.
“Russia is developing new weapons that no one else in the world will have anytime soon,” he added.
He also said he hopes Europe will eventually initiate dialogue, though he suggested this is unlikely under current leadership. According to Putin, Russia remains ready to negotiate and resolve all issues peacefully.
Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrsky said Wednesday that Russia has concentrated about 710,000 troops inside Ukrainian territory for its ongoing winter offensive.
Despite heavy losses, Russian forces continue attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer front, particularly in the northeast and east, Syrsky said, adding that Ukrainian units are holding their positions.
Briefing allies at Tuesday’s 33rd Ukraine Defense Contact Group (Ramstein) meeting, Syrsky described the situation as “difficult” but said Russia has failed to achieve major operational gains.
He claimed Ukrainian counterattacks had pushed Russian forces back in Kupyansk, with Ukrainian troops regaining control of nearly 90% of the city.
The claim directly contradicts Moscow’s position. Putin and Defense Minister Andrey Belousov have repeatedly asserted that Kupyansk is fully under Russian control.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, posted video from the city earlier this month, accusing the Kremlin of spreading false information.
Kyiv Post–tracked battlefield reports confirm recent Ukrainian counterattacks and partial Ukrainian control of central Kupyansk, though fighting is ongoing. Combat footage released Wednesday by the AFU’s 429th Unmanned Systems Regiment “Achilles” showed drone strikes on Russian assault groups near the city.
Syrsky said the Pokrovsk sector in the Donetsk region remains the most intense, with Russian forces sustaining heavy losses. AFU data showed 1,740 Russian casualties on Dec. 16 alone, near a one-day record.
He also claimed Ukrainian forces had regained territory north and west of Pokrovsk. Independent analysts, however, say the situation there remains fluid, with contested areas and reports of Ukrainian units possibly cut off near Myrnohrad.
Most Ukrainian sources reported continued high-intensity fighting, with Russian infantry advancing in small groups into kill zones targeted by Ukrainian artillery and drones.