Putin: Russian invasion of Ukraine going 'to plan'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has again claimed the Kremlin's "special military operation" is continuing to go to plan, more than four months into Moscow's war in Ukraine.

"Work is going on calmly, methodically, the troops are advancing and reaching the milestones that are set for each stage of this war effort," Putin told Russian journalists during a visit to Turkmenistan on Wednesday.

"Everything is going according to plan," the Russian news agency TASS quoted him as saying. Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 in advances from multiple directions.

After failing to reach the Ukrainian capital Kiev following unexpectedly fierce resistance, Russian forces have been focusing their efforts on capturing the predominantly Russian-speaking Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

According to analysts, while the Russian military is continuing its advance, it has also been suffering heavy losses and is rapidly using up its stockpiles of artillery shells.

Putin reiterated his claim that the main goal of the invasion was "liberating" the Donbass, "protecting" its inhabitants and "creating conditions that would guarantee Russia's security," adding that NATO had wanted to turn Ukraine into an "anti-Russian bridgehead."

Putin refused to comment on how much longer the fighting would last. "It would be wrong to set any deadlines," he said, adding that intensifying the fighting would mean higher casualties and "we must think first of all about how to preserve the lives of our boys."

Putin described the Russian soldiers as "heroes," saying that songs and poems should be written about them and monuments erected in their honour.

Ukrainian and international experts have documented numerous civilian atrocities carried out by Russian troops, such as the summary execution of residents in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, though Moscow has dismissed talk of atrocities, claiming that they were all staged.