Putin Says Russia Is Winning Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia was gaining momentum in the Ukraine war, claiming Moscow’s forces were advancing faster on the battlefield while ruling out the need for another military mobilisation.

Speaking to reporters after a summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said he had “no doubt the enemy will crumble,” although he declined to give a timeline. He also described Ukraine’s leadership as “terrorists,” arguing that Moscow could not negotiate with them under current circumstances.

Russia controls roughly one-fifth of Ukraine four and a half years into the conflict. U.S.-mediated peace negotiations stalled in February following the outbreak of war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Putin claimed Russian forces captured 270 square kilometres of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region in August. He also said two major groups of Ukrainian troops, numbering thousands of soldiers, had been surrounded. Reuters could not independently verify the claims.

According to Putin, Russian forces continue advancing toward Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. He also said Moscow was preparing large-scale attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Despite his criticism of Kyiv, Putin said Russia remained willing to participate in negotiations aimed at ending the war rather than simply freezing the conflict. He reiterated Moscow’s readiness to engage with envoys representing U.S. President Donald Trump.

Putin also acknowledged that Ukrainian drone attacks had damaged Russian oil refineries, contributing to one of Moscow’s growing wartime challenges. He said refinery defenses had improved and claimed only about 10% of affected facilities still required repairs.

Addressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s warning that drone attacks could effectively close Russian airspace to airlines, Putin called the threat “state terrorism” and said Russia would respond if necessary.

The Russian president separately rejected German accusations linking Moscow to an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport. Putin accused Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government of blaming Russia to divert attention from domestic political problems and alleged that Germany had planted evidence, without providing proof for the claim.