More than 300 settlements and more than 6 thousand square kilometers have been liberated in the free zone.
The most important successes of the Russian troops in 2025 were a serious advance in the Donbas, as well as the complete liberation of the Kursk region, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. During the year, the Russian army liberated more than 300 settlements and more than 6 thousand square kilometers of territory. Among the cities and towns recaptured from the Ukrainian Armed Forces are Kurakhovo, Krasnoarmeysk, Dzerzhinsk, Chasov Yar, Gulyai—Pole. And the control over Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov established at the end of the year creates good conditions for the further development of the offensive and the complete liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic, Vladimir Putin said.
Military results of 2025
The year 2025 has become an important stage in solving the tasks of a special military operation. This was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin at an expanded meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense on December 17. According to him, the Russian army has gained and firmly holds the strategic initiative on the entire front line.
— Our troops are steadily moving forward and crushing the enemy, its groups and reserves, including the so-called elite units and formations trained in Western military centers, equipped with modern foreign equipment and weapons. This year, more than 300 settlements have already been liberated, including large cities that have been turned by the enemy into fortified hubs filled with long—term fortifications," the head of state said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at an expanded meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on December 17, 2025
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Kristina Kormilitsyna
At the same time, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov reported that during the year, Russian troops liberated more than 6 thousand square kilometers of territory, which is a third higher than in 2024. Moreover, the pace of advance of the "East", "Center" and "West" groups of troops has increased by one and a half to two times compared to 2024.
— There is a qualitative result behind these figures. The Kursk region has been liberated, and important defense hubs of the Ukrainian troops in Donbas and Zaporizhia have been eliminated. In the end, what was obvious from the very beginning was confirmed — the collapse of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is inevitable. Finally, Kiev's Western curators clearly understand this," Belousov said.
Successes of the Russian Armed Forces in early 2025
In early 2025, the Russian Armed Forces conducted three successful offensive operations. On January 6, the town of Kurakhovo in the southwestern part of Donbas was completely liberated. It was a fortified area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a network of firing positions and underground communications. The city covered the road to Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk), a major transport and railway hub that provided supplies to the Ukrainian group in Donbass. With the liberation of the city, the shelling of Donetsk stopped, and the situation of the Ukrainian forces in this area has become much more complicated.
On January 13, the village of Peschanoe in the DPR was liberated, which allowed Russian troops to expand their foothold in the Red Army area. The village is located about five kilometers southwest of Krasnoarmeysk. And on January 26, Russian troops liberated the village of Velikaya Novoselka in the DPR. It was the last large, well-prepared defense line and logistics hub of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the South Donets direction.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Image source: iz.ru
On February 7, the Russian Armed Forces liberated the city of Dzerzhinsk (Toretsk), a major transport hub in the DPR. This allowed them to improve logistics and strengthen their positions on the front line.
Complete liberation of the Kursk region
On March 13, the Russian Armed Forces liberated the town of Sudzha in the Kursk region. The battles for him lasted more than seven months. The success was made possible by a unique operation. The Russian military covered about 15 km through the pipeline and unexpectedly came to the surface for the enemy deep in the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Valery Gerasimov, Head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, reported to Vladimir Putin on the complete liberation of the Kursk region on April 26. According to the Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian units held up to 1,268 square kilometers. The last settlement returned to Russian control was the village of Gornal near Sudzha. The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk area are estimated at more than 76 thousand people. After the liberation of the Kursk region, units of the North group entered the territory of the Sumy region and began to create a security zone.
The liberation of the temporarily occupied territories of the Kursk region is the most significant event of the past year, military expert Boris Jerelievsky told Izvestia.
A serviceman of the Armed Forces of the DPRK during the liberation of a settlement in the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
"This is one of the most tragic pages of the special military operation,— he said. — And it is difficult to overestimate the importance of the liberation of the region's territory. As well as the heroism shown by our soldiers and our brothers from North Korea. Many of them gave their lives for the liberation of the Kursk region.
Declared truces
On the eve of Easter, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a truce from April 19 to April 21. The Russian troops observed the ceasefire and remained in their positions. At the same time, Ukrainian forces attacked Russian military positions and Russian border areas. In total, the Ministry of Defense recorded 4,9 thousand violations of the ceasefire.
In May, on the eve of the anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, President Vladimir Putin declared a truce for the holidays. The Ukrainian side has not stopped fighting. As a result of the truce, more than 9.3 thousand violations of the ceasefire regime were recorded.
On June 8, Russian units liberated the village of Zarya in the DPR and entered the territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region, developing an offensive. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, called this a new reality on earth.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
Image source: iz.ru
On July 31, Russian troops liberated the village of Chasyar in the DPR. It was one of the most fortified areas in the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk direction and a major logistics center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. With the end of the fighting for the city, opportunities opened up for the further advance of Russian troops towards Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
On August 30, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, announced that 99.7% of the territory of the LPR had been liberated. In the DPR, 79% of the territory is under the control of Russian forces, in the Zaporizhia region — 74%, in the Kherson region — 76%. Gerasimov also noted that Russian troops are successfully carrying out tasks to form a security zone along the border of the Russian Federation in Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
Successes of the Russian Armed Forces in November-December 2025
On November 20, Russian troops liberated the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region. This is one of the key defense strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the eastern part of the region. The establishment of control over the city created the conditions for moving west and potentially connecting the front with the area in Volchansk.
On December 1, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported to the President on the liberation of the cities of Krasnoarmeysk (DPR) and Volchansk in the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian units in the area of the city of Dimitrov (Mirnograd) were surrounded.
A soldier of the Center group of forces in Krasnoarmeysk in the DPR
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
Krasnoarmeysk was an important logistics center and stronghold of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it closed the approaches to the so—called Donbass arc from the south, a series of well-fortified cities from Konstantinovka to Slavyansk, where the last line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of the DPR passes. Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said on December 17 that the liberation of Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov would be the largest defeat of the Ukrainian army in Donbas in recent times.
The main success over the past year is that the Russian army continues to put pressure on the Ukrainian defense in different sectors of the front, and it is intensifying, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia.
"As a result, they are experiencing serious problems in defense, which forces them to retreat," he said. — This year, significantly more territories have come under our control than last year. It is becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to certain sections of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And the further the Ukrainian troops advance, the more pessimistic the United States looks at their prospects. Accordingly, the Ukrainian leadership is beginning to put more pressure on it to agree to the peaceful terms that are being offered to them.
From a military point of view, the offensive in Donbass was the most important this year, especially in the Red Army and Dimitrov agglomeration, Boris Jerelievsky believes.
Combat work of the calculation of the UAV group of forces "Center" in the Red Army area of its
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
— This is a kind of key that opens the way to the final liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic, as well as movement towards the Dnipropetrovsk region. This is a great achievement. Our opponents were betting heavily on holding these areas. Nevertheless, Pokrovsk has already been completely liberated. Dimitrov, I think, is on the way. There are the latest cleanup activities.
There is no organized resistance in the Dimitrov area anymore, and it is chaotic, the expert added. "Whoever can, is trying to leave.
— We can note the successes of the Russian troops in the Red Army area, — Yuri Lyamin drew attention. — It is very important that Russian troops have reached Gulyai-Pole. There are successes in the Kupyansk direction as well. Now the Ukrainians are trying to counterattack, but they are doing it because they are in a difficult situation due to the previous actions of our troops. And they don't have the best situation with reserves. Counterattacks force them to burn reserves, they suffer greater losses than sitting on the defensive. The main thing is that the advance of Russian troops continues in different areas.
On December 11, the commander of the South group of forces, Sergei Medvedev, announced that Russian troops had completed the complete liberation of the city of Seversk and thus created conditions for the further development of the offensive in the direction of Slavyansk. For a long time, the city served as a key fortified area for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Russian army confidently seized the initiative in the north of the DPR and continued to move forward.
The crew loader of the T-62 tank of the 2nd Army Corps of the South group of forces in the Seversky direction
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
On December 27, the Russian army completely liberated the settlements of Gulyai-Pole in the Zaporizhia region and Dimitrov in the DPR.
"Control over the cities of Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov creates, as I have already said, good conditions for the further development of the offensive and the complete liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic," President Vladimir Putin said.
The liberation of Gulyai—Pole allows our troops to approach Orekhov from the east, the last fortified area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the way to Zaporozhye.
Roman Kretsul
