Russia claims to have conquered 189 Ukrainian localities in 2024 and has the initiative on “the entire front line”, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Putin satisfied with a “pivotal year”. Russia has conquered 189 Ukrainian localities in 2024 and has the initiative on “the entire front line”, said Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, December 16 in a speech to the main executives of his Ministry of Defense and making a review of the year.
“Russian troops have the strategic initiative across the entire line of contact” in Ukraine, declared the Russian leader, demanding “the liberation of 189 localities” during 2024.
“I would like to emphasize that the past year was a pivotal year in terms of achieving the objectives of the special military operation,” he added, using the euphemism required in Russia to mention the assault on Ukraine.
“30km2 per day”
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Beloussov, who spoke after Vladimir Putin, told him that Russia had taken 4,500 km2 of Ukrainian territory this year, and was currently advancing at “30 km2 per day”. A progression visible on the maps provided by the British Ministry of Defense, which documents the conflict.
No indication as to Russian losses was also given, a sensitive and classified subject, but the Minister of Defense claimed to have counted 560,000 soldiers killed or wounded in 2024 and a million since the start of the Russian assault in February 2022. Unverifiable data.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted last week the deaths of 43,000 soldiers and 370,000 wounded. He estimated Russian losses at 198,000 killed and 550,000 wounded.
Charge against NATO
Vladimir Putin has once again accused NATO countries, allies of Ukraine, of posing a threat to Russia. “NATO countries are increasing their military spending. Alliance intervention groups have been formed and assembled near Russia’s borders,” he accused.
Could France send soldiers to Ukraine?
Minister Andreï Belooussov judged that the Russian army must prepare “for all possible developments in the situation, including the possibility of an armed conflict with NATO in Europe in the decades to come”.
Russia rejects the term invasion when it comes to its assault on Ukraine, and believes that its offensive aimed to push back NATO, which kyiv wants to join, and curb an existential threat. In this context, Vladimir Putin praised the considerable increase in arms production in the country, and called for it to continue.
“All issues relating to mass production and deployment of national systems to carry out strikes, including hypersonic systems, must be resolved,” he said.
The master of the Kremlin also indicated that Russian forces were starting to use robotic systems, assisted by AI. “Soldiers are receiving advanced robotic systems, some of which use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies,” he said.
The Russian army advances in the East
On Sunday, December 15, Russia claimed to have conquered villages in two strategic sectors of the front in eastern Ukraine, approaching in particular Pokrovsk, an important city for the logistics of the Ukrainian army.
Moscow’s forces “liberated” the village of Vesely Gai, south of the industrial town of Kurakhové, and that of Pushkin, south of Pokrovsk, both in the Donetsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Russians have accelerated their incursion into this region, a target for months. They seized more Ukrainian territory last November than in any other month since March 2022, according to an AFP analysis based on data from the Institute for the Study of War based in the United States.
The Ukrainian force grouping in Khortytsia on Sunday reported “exhausting confrontations” underway in the surrounding area and in the town of Kurakhové, as well as further north in the stormed hill town of Chasiv Yar.
“The situation is complex and changing. Our troops are currently organizing themselves to improve the tactical situation,” commented this military group on the Telegram network.
