Putin acknowledges some Russian setbacks on the battlefield but shows no sign of ending the war — ISW
According to the analysts, on Russia Day Putin and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met with Russian servicemen. During the event, participants reiterated support for the Kremlin's military objectives in Ukraine.
During the meeting, Putin emphasized Russia's military and technological developments, including:
Putin also highlighted social support measures for military personnel, veterans, and their families, while repeating the Kremlin's narrative that Russia is allegedly confronting NATO.
According to ISW analysts:
"Putin likely intended to use the meeting with Russian servicemembers to project strength for the Russia Day celebrations following the embarrassment of his scaled-down Victory Day Parade on May 9 and successful Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian military assets in St. Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) from June 3 to 6."
ISW also noted that Putin has begun partially acknowledging some of the difficulties Russian forces are facing, while avoiding any assessment of their true scale.
For example, he mentioned Ukrainian drone strikes but portrayed them as attempts to sow division within Russian society and inflict economic damage on the country.
Putin also stated that Russian forces are advancing "not as quickly as we [Russia] would like," but claimed that they continue to move forward "gradually every day."
At the same time, ISW pointed out that the pace of Russian advances has been slowing since November 2025 and that Russian occupation forces suffered net territorial losses in both April and May.
The analysts concluded:
"Putin likely chose to acknowledge some of the setbacks Russian forces are facing to appear more in touch with the battlefield realities to Russian servicemembers who have directly experienced these setbacks.
Ukraine has been increasing the scale and scope of its long-range and intermediate-range strike campaign against Russian logistics, military equipment, and manpower since early Spring 2026, which has impeded Russian advances across the theater and is disrupting Russian logistic routes across occupied Ukraine, particularly in southern Ukraine and into occupied Crimea."
What is known about the situation on the front line
As previously reported, in May Russian forces captured only 14 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, marking their lowest monthly territorial gain in the past three years. At the same time, however, the number of Russian assault operations increased by more than one-third.
Meanwhile, according to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, the Ukrainian Defense Forces improved their tactical position along the Kostiantynivka-Druzhkivka axis in the Donetsk region and repelled Russian attempts to infiltrate the rear of Ukraine's defensive lines.
As Rubryka previously reported, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi recently stated that in May the ratio of liberated to lost territory was nearly plus 100 square kilometers in favor of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Overall, since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian defenders have liberated more than 600 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.
In southern Ukraine, the Defense Forces have restored control over nearly 470 square kilometers of territory and neutralized more than 11,000 Russian occupiers.
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15 of June 2026
