Lead

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russian troops retain the strategic initiative in the special military operation area and are steadily moving forward, according to reports by TASS. Speaking at a meeting on the development of Donbass and Novorossiya, Putin stated that the Russian army is advancing in all frontline areas and that the Kiev authorities are unable to hold back the advance. In a later appearance, he said Ukrainian attacks cannot change the situation at the front, where Russian forces are liberating settlements one after another.

Coverage Comparison

TASS carried Putin’s remarks from two separate meetings with Russian officials. In the earlier report, dated June 13, the agency quoted the president as saying Russian troops retain the strategic advantage and are moving forward steadily, adding that no shelling attacks or drone strikes would alter that situation. A subsequent TASS dispatch dated June 23 focused on Putin’s comments at a cabinet meeting, in which he asserted that attacks on civilian infrastructure and other targets do not and cannot affect events at the line of engagement. Both accounts present the statements as direct quotations from the Russian leader and frame the military picture in terms of continued Russian advances and the liberation of territory.

Key Claims

  • Russian troops have the strategic initiative and are advancing in all frontline areas, Putin said, as reported by TASS.
  • The Kiev authorities are unable to hold back the Russian army’s advance and resort to methods Putin described as terrorist, according to TASS.
  • Kiev’s attacks cannot change the situation at the frontline, where the Russian military is liberating one settlement after another, Putin stated in remarks carried by TASS.
  • Putin cited attacks on civilian infrastructure, a bus with Belarusian children, and a student dormitory in Starobelsk, saying such actions by Ukrainian forces only encourage Russian troops to carry out their combat duties, TASS reported.