In a recent session at the General Staff, the focus was on the latest developments of the military campaign in Ukraine, with reports on how Russian forces have progressed on the North-Eastern Front in recent weeks.
According to the Kremlin, the meeting was held in Rostov-on-Don, where the head of state listened to a briefing from Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. The gathering drew attention from observers who questioned the pace of progress and the overall outcome of ongoing operations in Ukraine.
Putin also heard briefings from other field commanders and officers who are currently directing troops engaged in the campaign described by officials as a special military operation.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense released updates noting air strikes aimed at enemy positions in eastern Donetsk as part of ongoing combat activity in the region.
There were claims that Kiev had launched a renewed push on the Crimean peninsula, with Russian air defenses reporting the downing of a surface-to-air missile system during the engagement.
Recent weeks have seen limited gains for Russian forces in the Kupiansk area, a town in Kharkiv region, which Kyiv continues to recognize as part of its sovereign territory.
Meanwhile, Russian units have withdrawn from several positions in Donetsk and from areas in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, once a focal point of Ukrainian counteroffensives.
Since the counteroffensive began on June 4, Kyiv has faced setbacks and casualties across multiple fronts as it pushes toward the Sea of Azov, with analysts noting the high human and material costs involved.
Gerasimov and Russia’s defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, remain in their roles despite public calls from Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin for leadership changes after a high-profile armed revolt and the seizure of Rostov-on-Don in late June, an event that highlighted frictions within the broader security apparatus. [Source attribution: Kremlin statements and contemporary military briefings]