Russia expands Ukraine’s occupied territory seven times in one year
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not mention the Ukraine war in his 2025 New Year’s address. This is the first time since he invaded Ukraine in February 2022 that he did not mention the war in Ukraine in his New Year’s address.
There is an analysis that President Putin, who celebrated his 25th year in power this year, deliberately did not mention it in order to express confidence in his long-term rule and at the same time emphasize that Russian society is stable even during the war. As his confident New Year’s address said, Russia is showing an advantage in the war, occupying 4,000 square kilometers in Ukraine last year, seven times the area occupied by 2023.
In his New Year’s address announced on major state broadcasters at midnight on the 1st, President Putin said, “I am confident that everything will be fine. “We will continue to move forward,” he said. However, the term ‘special military operation’ used by Russia to refer to the war in Ukraine, which marks the third anniversary of the outbreak of the war on the 24th of next month, was not mentioned at all.
President Putin only emphasized, “The thoughts and hopes of millions of people across Russia, their families and friends, are with our soldiers and commanders.” He also praised the soldiers on the battlefield as “true heroes” who defend Russia and maintain peace and security. Although it does not directly mention the war, it is interpreted as a remark that indirectly encouraged soldiers participating in the war.
The New York Times (NYT) commented on this, saying, “Putin’s ambiguous speech highlighted the biggest contradiction of his wartime leadership.” This means that they want to maintain normalcy in their daily lives even in a situation where the entire nation is virtually plunged into war.
This appears to be deeply related to the reality that the recent war situation is increasingly favorable to Russia. According to AFP’s analysis of data from the Institute for War Studies (IWS), a U.S. war think tank, the Russian military occupied an additional 3,985 square kilometers in Ukraine last year. It is approximately seven times the area occupied in 2023. It is approximately 6.6 times larger than Seoul (605.2k㎡).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is struggling with Russia’s unstoppable offensive, also said in a speech to the nation on the same day, “We will do everything to prevent Russia’s invasion and end the war. “Only if we have strength can we be respected on the battlefield and at the negotiation table, and can our claims be accepted,” he said, reinforcing his will to resist.
He also said, “There is no doubt that the new U.S. president has the will and ability to achieve peace and end Putin’s invasion.” It is interpreted that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on the 20th, is conscious of the negative aspects of support for Ukraine and is attempting to urge continued U.S. support.
Paris = Correspondent Jo Eun-ah [email protected]
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