Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would increase its retaliatory attacks in Ukraine, signaling a continued military escalation as the war enters its fifth year.
Speaking at the Kremlin on Friday during events marking Russia Day and celebrations honoring participants in what Moscow calls its “special military operation,” Putin said Russian forces would continue pressing their campaign and strengthen their response to attacks by Ukraine.
According to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, Putin said more than 700,000 Russian troops are currently deployed in the combat zone and that Russian forces are continuing to advance, although not as rapidly as military planners would prefer.
The Russian leader praised assault units operating on the front line and said the government was expanding programs related to training, medical care and employment opportunities for military personnel involved in the conflict.
The remarks come as fighting between Russia and Ukraine remains intense despite periodic diplomatic efforts to seek a negotiated settlement. Both sides have continued long-range drone and missile attacks, targeting military infrastructure, logistics hubs and energy facilities.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestically produced drones to strike deep inside Russian-held territory and supply lines, while Russia has intensified aerial attacks using missiles and unmanned systems against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Putin also said Russia was developing new FPV drones and artificial intelligence-based unmanned systems, describing the Defence Ministry as an increasingly advanced technological institution. He claimed Moscow was expanding its satellite communications network and developing capabilities comparable to private satellite systems used in modern warfare.
The Russian president further said Moscow was working to strengthen its air-defense capabilities and maintain a technological advantage in weapons development. He argued that Russia had withstood pressure from what he called the “collective West” and NATO, insisting that efforts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia had failed.
Putin also warned NATO against direct military confrontation with Russia, saying such a scenario would carry serious consequences. His comments follow repeated tensions between Moscow and Western governments over military assistance to Ukraine and the broader security situation in Europe.