Russia claims to have seized more than 5,100 square km of Ukraine in 2025

Russia claims to have seized more than 5,100 square km of Ukraine in 2025 Analysts and Ukrainian officials doubt Moscow's latest announcements as peace talks stall. Russia is doubling down on its claims on Ukraine, in an apparent effort to demonstrate some military achievement in 2025 at home and to influence peace talks with the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters last Friday in a year-end news conference that Moscow’s forces had seized Siversk in the eastern region of Donetsk and Vovchansk in the northern Kharkiv region. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Photos: Ukraine deploys low-cost drones to counter Russia’s aerial attacks list 2 of 4 Three people, including officers, killed in explosion in Russia’s Moscow list 3 of 4 Russian forces seize embattled Siversk town as Ukrainian troops withdraw list 4 of 4 Zelenskyy unveils details of new peace plan, seeks Trump talks on territory Putin also claimed Russian forces held at least half of Lyman and Kostiantynivka in Donetsk, and Hulyaipole in the southern Zaporizhia region - all front-line towns. Ukraine observers begged to differ. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank, said satellite and open-source visual evidence contradict Putin. “ISW has observed no evidence to confirm any of these claimed seizures or extensive advances and has only observed evidence indicating a Russian presence [either through infiltration missions or assaults] in 7.3 percent of Hulyaipole and 2.9 percent of Lyman,” it wrote. The ISW also estimated Russian advances had claimed no more than 5 percent of Kostiantynivka. “Even Russian milbloggers’ [military reporters’] claimed advances do not support many of Putin’s claims,” the ISW said, with milbloggers claiming that “Russian forces have seized a maximum” of about 7 percent of Lyman and 11 percent of Kostiantynivka. The Kremlin has also claimed to be in complete possession of Kupiansk in Kharkiv and Pokrovsk in Donetsk. The ISW estimated Russia possesses no more than 7.2 percent of Kharkiv, and Ukraine’s commander-in-chief has said Ukrainian forces had pushed Russia out of 16 square kilometres (6.1 square miles) of Pokrovsk. On December 18, Russian commander-in-chief Valery Gerasimov gave an end-of-year report to foreign military officials, claiming Russia seized 6,300sq km (2,432sq miles) of Ukraine this year, slightly more than the 6,000sq km (2,300sq miles) Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov had claimed a week earlier. But the ISW estimated Russia had seized no more than 4,984sq km (1,900sq miles) containing 196 settlements, rather than the 300 that Russian officials have claimed. Putin did make one truthful claim to have seized the eastern town of Siversk. Zelenskyy welcomes ‘cooperation’ with US despite disagreements The spurious Russian assertions have come over a two-week period when US and Ukrainian negotiators have intensified talks on a peace plan, a process that ended on Monday after three days of talks in Florida. “We sense that America wants to reach a final agreement, and from our side, there is full cooperation,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a...

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