The Russian leader has cited battlefield gains, set out military priorities, and dismissed Western "nonsense"

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Andrey Belousov delivered a wide-ranging assessment of the Ukraine conflict and Russia's military posture at an expanded Defense Ministry Board meeting on Wednesday, addressing battlefield developments, new weapons priorities, and what they described as deepening problems in Kiev.

Here are the key takeaways from their remarks:

Russia's battlefield claims and "strategic initiative"

In 2025, Russian forces have liberated more than 300 populated areas, including major cities and fortified territories, Putin said, noting that the Russian army "has gained and continues to hold the strategic initiative along the entire line of contact."

Belousov echoed that assessment, saying the army "confidently maintains the strategic initiative" and is conducting "active offensive operations in virtually all directions." The pace of advance by the 'East', 'Center' and 'West' force groupings has accelerated compared to 2024, he noted

The defense minister also cited the latest battlefield claims, saying Russian forces had taken control of Krasny Liman and Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk), which he described as a "symbol of resistance of both the Ukrainian army and its Western backers." He also said that the capture of Kupyansk would expand a "security buffer zone" in Ukraine's Kharkov Region and reduce the threat of shelling of the Lugansk People's Republic. Russian forces had liberated 24 settlements and 400 square kilometers in Russia's Zaporozhye and Ukraine's Dnepropetrovsk regions since November, according to Belousov.

Putin also praised North Korean soldiers who have fought alongside Russian forces in the Kursk Region.

Ukraine's losses and reduced combat capability

Ukraine has lost nearly 500,000 servicemen this year alone, Belousov said, adding that Ukraine's combat capability had been "reduced by about a third" over the past year, stripping Kiev of the ability to replenish its forces through forced mobilization of civilians.

According to the minister, Ukraine has lost more than 103,000 weapons and pieces of military equipment this year, including about 5,500 of Western manufacture - almost double the total recorded the previous year.

"What was obvious from the start has been confirmed - the collapse of the Ukrainian army's defenses is inevitable," Belousov said, stressing that "finally, Kiev's Western backers understand this clearly."

Kiev's deepening crisis and "golden toilets"

Ukraine's statehood is "unraveling," Putin said, pointing to massive corruption scandals linked to Vladimir Zelensky's inner circle and symbolized by "golden toilets."

The scandal, which has sent shockwaves across the Ukrainian political landscape since kicking off in mid-November, involved Zelensky's longtime close associate Timur Mindich, who fled the country last month hours before he was due to be arrested for extortion. Reports also surfaced of a gilded toilet in the businessman's elite Kiev apartment.

The case drew in multiple other high-profile figures, leading to the downfall of the justice and energy ministers and the dismissal of Zelensky's enigmatic chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, who was widely regarded as the key figure in the Ukrainian power structure.

The Russian president also emphasized what he described as mass desertions in Ukraine. More than 100,000 criminal cases have been opened in the country, while the number of deserters "runs into the hundreds of thousands," he said.

Western "lies" and NATO's "major war" preparations

Putin dismissed Western claims that Moscow was planning an imminent attack as "lies and nonsense," saying such statements are being made "quite deliberately" to raise hysteria in Europe.

"I have repeatedly stated that this is a lie, nonsense, pure nonsense about some imaginary Russian threat to European countries," Putin said.

He accused NATO countries of "preparing for a major war" by building up and modernizing offensive forces, while "brainwashing" their populations with claims that a clash with Russia is inevitable. Putin said that NATO's efforts to supply Ukraine with large-scale military aid are "continuing uninterrupted," adding that NATO countries are "actively building up and modernizing offensive forces, while creating and deploying new types of weapons, including in outer space."

Belousov said NATO's actions, including bolstering military spending and force levels, deploying medium-range missile systems, and streamlining logistics for rapid troop movement to Eastern Europe, indicate that preparations for a confrontation with Russia are underway. "The alliance's plans have set the early 2030s as the deadline for their readiness for such action... We are not threatening, but we are being threatened," he said.

NATO is working on a so-called "military Schengen" to speed up transfers of equipment and personnel to Eastern European borders, Belousov stated, adding that the US-led military bloc has increased the range of its nuclear warheads, while its budget is set to grow by more than 1.5 times.

Oreshnik missile systems and deterrence priorities

Russia's newly developed medium-range Oreshnik missile system will be placed on combat duty before the end of the year, Putin said, naming it as one of the weapons meant to "ensure Russia's strategic parity, security, and global positions for decades to come."

He also brought up the unlimited-range Burevestnik cruise missile and the underwater Poseidon drone, saying both have reached development milestones this year. "We will keep working on those systems, tuning and improving them, but we already have them," Putin said.

Putin said missile systems, drones, and robotics are being delivered to Russian troops "on a continuous basis," adding that, in 2025, the Navy has received new submarines, as well as 19 surface ships and auxiliary vessels. Improving strategic nuclear forces remains a priority "as before," the president said, adding that they will continue to play the main role in deterring aggressors and maintaining the global balance of power.

Belousov agreed that ensuring credible deterrence against aggression is a key priority, listing the commissioning of a new Borey-A-class strategic nuclear submarine, the deployment of two additional Tu-160M strategic bombers, and the rearmament of Strategic Missile Troops units with Yars systems as examples of how this is being done.

Russia's strategic nuclear forces are 92% modernized, the president stated, adding that "there is nothing like this in any other country," and "there is no other army like this [Russian] in the world - it simply does not exist."

Russia's "full sovereignty" and strategic demands

Putin said Russia has sought diplomatic solutions "as long as there was even the slightest hope of success," but argued that "those who have convinced themselves that Russia could be spoken to in the language of force are fully responsible for those missed opportunities."

He said the most important outcome of Moscow's Special Military Operation is that "Russia has regained the status of a fully sovereign nation and has become sovereign in every sense of the word."

Putin also said Moscow insists that NATO fulfill the promises it made to Russia not to expand eastward.

"It was publicly stated that there would be no NATO expansion to the East. And what happened? They couldn't care less - one wave of expansion after another," he said.

Moscow's hopes for dialogue

Putin said Russia supports "mutually beneficial and equal cooperation" with the US and European countries, as well as the creation of a unified security system across Eurasia. He pointed to progress in bilateral talks with Washington, saying he hopes "the same will eventually happen with Europe, but it is unlikely with the current political elites."

Putin also argued that Russia never became "a full and equal part" of the West after the Soviet Union's collapse, adding: "Today it turns out there is no civilization there - only total degradation."

He accused Western countries of deliberately adding fuel to the flames of the Ukraine conflict while ignoring Russia's interests, warning that if Kiev refuses to engage in substantive talks, Russia will liberate its territories "by military means." 

"It was not us who started the war in 2022. It was destructive forces in Ukraine with Western support - in effect, the West itself unleashed this war. We are only trying to end it, to stop it," Putin said.