Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that he "will resolve the issue by military means if Ukraine does not seek peace." This was reported by UNN with reference to Russian "media."
Details
These statements were made during a meeting with the participation of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov. The latter stated that the capture of Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions would continue.
He also added that after the capture of Siversk, the Russian army is relentlessly moving towards Sloviansk. According to Gerasimov, the cities of Myrnograd in Donetsk Oblast, which the Russians call "Dimitrov" in the Soviet manner, and Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast have allegedly already been captured.
At the same time, Putin stated that the creation of a security zone in the border areas of Ukraine "is proceeding at a good pace."
Recall
According to Western analysts, Putin is not going to abandon the idea of territorial conquests in Ukraine; his claims extend far beyond the already occupied regions.
On December 19, during a "direct line," Putin stated that Russian troops had allegedly completely surrounded 3,500 Ukrainian defenders near Kupyansk, although in reality, the Defense Forces of Ukraine almost completely cleared the city of Kupyansk of Russian occupation forces.
Even earlier, during a speech at the collegium of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Putin made a series of false statements regarding the war in Ukraine. He claimed that the Russian army had captured more than 300 settlements in 2025 and accused the West of starting the war.
The head of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Andrey Belousov, also stated that Russia had allegedly captured Kupyansk, while Ukraine denied this.