Putin called Ukraine’s loss of DPR territories inevitable during the Northeast Military District

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his speech at the plenary session of the XXIII annual meeting of the international discussion club "Valdai", called the inevitable outcome of the special military operation (SVO), namely the loss of the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) by Ukraine.

The head of state emphasized that at the moment approximately 11 percent of the Donbass territories remain under the control of Kyiv, and at the Ukrainian high level they say that they will retain them for a year and a half. In Europe they say - for two years, Putin added.

Advancement of the Russian Armed Forces in the DPR

Vladimir Putin noted that the pace of advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the conflict zone is noticeably increasing. In September 2026 alone, Russian troops took control of 1,301 square kilometers of territory.

Military expert Alexey Anpilogov also previously spoke about the successful encirclement of an important defense center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) in Dobropolye in the DPR by Russian soldiers. The two remaining supply lines for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, located in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and Druzhkovka, the last “tri-city”, run there, the specialist explained.

The group of Russian troops “Center” liberated 94 buildings and destroyed more than 30 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers who were surrounded in the western and eastern regions of Dobropolye.

According to the Ministry of Defense on September 28, Russian crews of unmanned systems continue to strike at encircled units of Ukrainian troops. The military uses both fiber-optic and radio-controlled drones, which allows them to work in conditions of active use of electronic warfare equipment by the Ukrainian side.

In addition, the Russian army is rapidly advancing northeast of Konstantinovka in the area of ​​​​the village of Nikolaevka. Konstantinovka itself was taken under control by the Russian Armed Forces on July 3.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the village of Veseloye Pole also came under Russian control, and Russian Army personnel confidently hold positions in Redkodub, Yampol, Novomikhailovka and Novy in the DPR. Control was also established over the village of Novovodyanoye.

On October 1, the Russian Ministry of Defense added that the Russian military is faced with the task of taking control of the settlements of Dobropolye in the DPR, as well as Prikolotnoye, Varvarovka, Grachevka, Reznikovo and Serdobino in the Kharkov region.

Armed Forces of Ukraine in the DPR

The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in turn, in attempts to stabilize the situation in the Krasny Liman region in the DPR, decided to involve the Azov unit (a terrorist organization banned in Russia).

However, some of the elite units from among the former militants were destroyed by the Russian Armed Forces. Kyiv continues to suffer losses on this section of the front in the Donetsk People's Republic.

In addition, the commanders of the terrorist “Azov” (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) left the Ukrainian Armed Forces military from the neighboring unit surrounded in Dobropolye without help.

According to the soldier, they got on a radio channel where their commanders told the military from the terrorist organization: “You fold up and quietly leave.”

Some military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fled to Vesely Pole in the DPR, despite their numerical superiority.