Putin says Russia has captured nearly 5,000 square km in Ukraine this year

Russia’s 2025 gains would amount to nearly 1 percent of Ukraine's land area, and the country controls nearly 20 percent in total.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russian forces had captured almost 5,000 square km (1,930 square miles) of land in Ukraine in 2025 and that Moscow retained complete strategic initiative on the battlefield.