Putin acknowledged Russian army failures and AFU successes on Russia Day - ISW
Kyiv • UNN
The dictator noted the slow progress of Russian troops and the effectiveness of Ukrainian strikes. Putin appears to have begun acknowledging some of the setbacks facing the Russian military.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin continued to project the Russian Federation's military might during Russia Day celebrations on June 12, while simultaneously acknowledging some battlefield setbacks that Russian forces have faced in recent months. This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), UNN reports.
Details
It is noted that on June 12, Putin and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met with Russian soldiers who emphasized their commitment to military victory in Ukraine and to achieving Putin's goals and objectives.
Putin praised Russian military-technological innovations, including FPV drones, the integration of artificial intelligence into UAVs, the scaling of tactical electronic warfare (EW) systems, and Russia's efforts to create a satellite system as an alternative to Starlink, in order to present Russian military developments as technologically advanced and an evolving force,
According to them, Putin also:
- emphasized recent social support measures for Russian soldiers, veterans, and their families;
- reiterated long-standing Kremlin rhetorical lines depicting Russia as a country waging war against NATO;
- underlined Russia's strength in conducting this war.
Putin likely intended to use the meeting with Russian servicemen to demonstrate his strength during the Russia Day celebrations following the embarrassment of the scaled-back May 9 Victory Day parade and successful Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian military facilities in Saint Petersburg during the International Economic Forum,
Putin is a result of the Russian worldview, it must be changed - CCD10.06.26, 20:58 • 6021 view
They assess that Putin appears to have begun acknowledging some of the setbacks currently facing the Russian military, while failing to mention the full scale of Russia's military challenges.
Putin stated that Ukrainian drone strikes are an attempt to sow discord in Russian society and cause economic damage. ... Putin claimed that Russia is strengthening its air defense and that the Russian economy is recovering quickly from Ukrainian strikes, and he threatened retaliatory strikes against Ukraine. Putin also admitted that Russian forces are advancing "not as fast as we would like," but noted that Russian troops are still advancing "gradually every day,"
Experts note that Putin did not acknowledge that Ukrainian counterattacks have achieved tactical successes in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions since March 2026.
The pace of Russia's battlefield advance has been steadily declining since November 2025, and Russian forces suffered net territorial losses (not counting areas where Russian troops penetrated) in April and May 2026. Putin likely decided to acknowledge some of the setbacks facing Russian troops to appear more aware of battlefield realities to Russian servicemen who have directly experienced these failures,
Analysts believe that Ukraine has been increasing the scale and scope of its long- and medium-range strike campaign against Russian logistics, military equipment, and manpower since the beginning of spring 2026, which is hindering Russia's theater-wide advance and disrupting Russian logistical routes through the temporarily occupied territories, particularly in southern Ukraine and occupied Crimea.
Recall
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which the size of the Russian army is increased by 7,360 military personnel.