Russia’s defence minister Andrei Belousov says its forces have “derailed” Ukraine’s military plans for the rest of the year.
His comments come after Russia launched a new type of ballistic missile on Ukrainian targets yesterday.
Belousov made the remarks during a visit to a “north fighting group”, saying Russian troops had “accelerated” its advances into Ukraine and “ground down” Ukraine’s best units.
For months, Russia’s efforts have been firmly focused on eastern Ukraine, where much of the fighting has focused on since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
This part of Ukraine has been contested territory since 2014 when Russian-backed fighters seized large swathes of the eastern Donestsk and Luhansk regions.
You can see how much territory Russia has taken in the map below.