Putin says Russia captured 5,000 square kilometres in Ukraine this year | World News
Putin said Moscow held the “complete strategic initiative” on the battlefield. (AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russian forces had taken control of almost 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles) of territory in Ukraine so far this year, according to Reuters.
Speaking at a meeting with top military commanders, Putin said Moscow held the “complete strategic initiative” on the battlefield. He added that Ukraine’s attempts to strike deep inside Russian territory would not change the situation.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using oil tankers for intelligence gathering and sabotage operations.
In a post on Telegram, cited Reuters, Zelenskyy said Russia was “using tankers not only to earn money for the war, but also for reconnaissance and even sabotage activities”.
He said Ukraine was working with its allies to address the issue. “It is entirely possible to stop this,” Zelenskyy said.
Later in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy referred to a report Ukraine’s foreign intelligence chief, Oleh Ivashchenko, who described how Russia was using tankers from its so-called “shadow fleet” to “conduct sabotage and destabilising operations in Europe”.
The Head of Foreign Intelligence reported in detail on how the Russians are utilizing tankers of their “shadow fleet” – not only to finance the war, but also for sabotage and various destabilization attempts in Europe. Recent launches of drones from tankers are one such example.… pic.twitter.com/B09UQo9EZK— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 7, 2025
“Recent cases of drones being launched from tankers are one such example,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv had shared this information with its partners and that “it is important that their response to Russia be real.”
