Vladimir Putin said Russian forces had completed the “liberation” of the LPR and were continuing offensive operations on other sections of the front.
The Russian president made the statement at a meeting with the military leadership devoted to the situation in the combat zone.
According to Putin, the Russian army is carrying out its tasks “in accordance with the General Staff’s plan.”
“The liberation of the Luhansk People’s Republic has recently been fully completed. The destruction of Ukrainian Armed Forces formations continues on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions,” Putin said.
He also said Russian forces are continuing to create a “security zone” in the border areas of Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
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Putin said Russia must continue massive strikes on Ukraine.
“Massive group strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial infrastructure and the facilities that support its operation must continue,” Putin said.
According to the Russian president, since the start of the year the Russian army has captured 133 settlements and taken control of more than 3,000 square kilometers of territory “in Donbas.”
Putin added that the meeting would discuss the situation in the areas of responsibility of the North and South groupings, as well as the tasks of the combined grouping of forces for the summer period.
Russian Troops Breach Border on Another Section of Kharkiv Region Russian Sources Report Ukrainian Counterstrike at Junction of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk Regions Putin Says the Territories of the ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ “Will Be Liberated in Any Case”