During a meeting at a command post of the Joint Forces Group, President Vladimir Putin received reports from military commanders, including General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov.
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| @Press Service of the President of the Russian Federation |
The following updates were provided:
- Russian Armed Forces are advancing on all fronts, while Ukrainian forces continue unsuccessful attempts to halt the progress
- Elite units of the Ukrainian military are suffering heavy losses
- In Zaporozhye region, the towns of Dimitrov, Gulyaipole, and Stepnogorsk have been liberated
“Gulyaipole is the second-largest city in the Zaporozhye region. Its liberation opens up great prospects for advancing in the area,” Putin noted.
Gulyaipole was liberated by Friday evening. The Vostok Battlegroup is conducting searches and eliminating individual enemy fighters. Meanwhile, the Tsentr Battlegroup, after finishing off Ukrainian units in Dimitrov, continue to crush the enemy in their area of responsibility, with mopping-up operations in the city districts underway.
“Thank you, guys, for this combat, highly effective work and for the result,” said Putin.
- In Kharkov region, the Russian forces have taken control of the towns of Vysokoye, Vilcha, and Prilivka
- More than half of the urban area of Konstantinovka is now under Russian control
- The Ukrainian grouping to the east of Kupyansk is being eliminated
- The Yug Battlegroup is advancing rapidly towards Slavyansk.
- The tasks of liberating the Donbass, Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions will continue
- The Sever Battlegroup is continuing its mission to establish a buffer zone
Military personnel congratulated Putin on the upcoming New Year, emphasizing, “Victory will be ours.”
Putin, in turn, noted that the Russian Armed Forces are accomplishing all assigned tasks and maintaining strong offensive momentum.
"Good progress is indeed being made in creating a buffer in the border regions: in Sumy, Kharkov, and Dnepropetrovsk regions," Putin said.
JUST IN:
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) December 27, 2025
🇷🇺 Putin in full military uniform:
" If Kiev does not want peace, Russia will achieve all Special Military Operation goals by MILITARY means" pic.twitter.com/CCMLzoA1GB
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told media on Friday that negotiators "truly came close to a solution" on Ukraine peace talks on Christmas Day, and that "whether we can make the final push and reach an agreement depends on our work and the political will of the other side - especially at a time when Kiev and its sponsors, particularly in the EU...have doubled their efforts to derail it."
Putin: Ukraine Avoiding Peaceful Resolution, Russia Will Pursue Military Solutions
The leaders of the Kiev regime are in no hurry to resolve the conflict through peaceful means, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We see that even today, unfortunately, the leaders of the Kiev regime are not eager to resolve this conflict through peaceful means,” Putin said during his visit to the command posts of the Joint Military Group.
Intelligent people in the West are offering Kiev honorable terms for ending the conflict, ensuring future security, and restoring relations with Russia, but the leaders of the Kiev regime are not in a hurry to accept these offers, Putin added.
“Now we see that some wise people in the West are advising the Kiev authorities to accept reasonable terms for ending the conflict. They are offering good foundational conditions for ensuring Ukraine's security over the long term, conditions for restoring relations with the Russian Federation, and rebuilding Ukraine's economy,” Putin said.
The leaders of the Kiev regime are not in a rush to resolve the conflict peacefully, the president emphasized.
“If the Kiev authorities do not wish to end the matter peacefully, we will accomplish all the tasks before us through military means in the course of the special military operation,” Putin said.
President Putin reminded that military actions were launched after the 2014 coup in Ukraine.
“There would have been no military actions if we had been listened to back then,” Putin said.
