RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared that Russian forces are “prevailing” in Ukraine, describing the ongoing conflict as a “righteous battle” as Moscow announced fresh territorial gains in the embattled Donetsk region.
In a video address published on the Kremlin’s official website, Putin praised Russian troops for advancing on the front lines and framed the war as a unifying national effort.
“Our fighters and commanders go on the attack, and the entire country, all of Russia, is waging this righteous battle and working hard,” Reuters reported him saying. “Together we are defending our love for the Motherland and the unity of our historical destiny. We are fighting and we are prevailing.”
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, labelling it a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “de-Nazify” its neighbour — a claim dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies as a baseless pretext for territorial aggression.
Despite ongoing efforts by US President Donald Trump to broker peace, including separate summits with Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and European leaders, the war shows no signs of resolution.
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Monday that its forces had seized control of two frontline villages — Shandryholove and Zarichne — located northeast of Sloviansk, a strategic target in Donetsk.
In a second statement, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov congratulated troops for their “bold and decisive” actions in capturing Zarichne, referring to it by its Soviet-era name, Kirovsk. Russian state media released footage purportedly showing soldiers moving through buildings and raising the Russian flag in Shandryholove.
Ukraine has not confirmed the loss of these settlements. President Zelenskiy did not reference them directly in his nightly address but said Ukrainian forces were making progress in their counter-offensive near Dobropillia, west of the contested area.
“Do not expect the situation to be easy,” Zelenskiy said. “But our servicemen are doing everything they can to defend their positions.”
Zelenskiy added that Ukrainian troops had recaptured 175 square kilometres near Pokrovsk — a key logistical hub in Donetsk — as part of their counter-offensive.
Ukrainian commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed similar figures, noting that the active front line now stretches over 1,250 kilometres. Meanwhile, the open-source military blog DeepState reported that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from Poltavka, a village east of Dobropillia.
In total, Russia is now estimated to control approximately 19 per cent of Ukrainian territory — including Crimea and significant portions of the eastern and southeastern regions — amounting to over 114,000 square kilometres.
Though Russia continues to claim daily advances, military analysts warn that these gains are often hard-fought and come at steep costs in personnel and equipment. Moscow does not publicly disclose casualty figures, while independent verification of battlefield claims remains limited.
The situation remains fluid in key hotspots, with renewed fighting also reported near Kupiansk in Kharkiv region and parts of Dnipropetrovsk. Despite the intensifying clashes, diplomatic momentum for a ceasefire has yet to gain meaningful traction. - September 30, 2025
