Putin claims that the Russian military has taken over 189 Ukrainian communities in 2024, a year he calls a "milestone in achieving the goals of the special military operation", as he calls the war.
The Russian Defense Minister Andrej Belousov reports at the same meeting that Russia has taken over nearly 4,500 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory during the year, and that the military is currently capturing around 30 square kilometers daily.
According to Belusov, Ukraine now controls less than one percent of the Luhansk region and around 25-30 percent of the Donetsk, Cherson, and Zaporizjzja regions, areas that Russia already classified as Russian in 2022, despite being only partially occupied.
