Russian army chief tells Putin Moscow's troops are advancing, Ukraine is on the defensive

General Valery ⁠Gerasimov, the chief of Russia's General Staff, ‍said on Monday that ‌Moscow's forces ‍were advancing in Ukraine along the entire front line, while Kyiv's forces were by contrast focused on defence and attempting to ⁠counter attack.

In a televised meeting with President Vladimir Putin and other top military officials, Gerasimov ‌reported that Russian forces in 2025 had captured 6,460 square kilometres (2494 ‍square miles) of ‍territory in ‍Ukraine, including 334 ⁠villages.

Reuters ‍could not independently verify the battlefield reports.