Russia's defense ministry says its forces have taken full control of the Luhansk region and captured villages in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, according to claims that could not be independently verified. Ukraine is refusing to surrender the remaining one-fifth of Donbas it controls. The Kremlin demands Ukraine immediately withdraw from the remaining territory it controls in Donetsk in exchange for ending the 'hot phase' of the war, with a two-month deadline to withdraw or face tougher peace terms.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claims Russia has plans to capture Donetsk and Luhansk regions, continue advancing in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and capture areas in the Odesa region over the next two years. According to the Vedomosti newspaper, Russia plans to move nearly 114,000 civilians to occupied Ukrainian territories by 2045. State development corporation VEB.RF says Russia plans to build over 13 million square meters of housing, over 140 kindergartens, dozens of schools, about 100 healthcare facilities, and rebuild about 3,270 kilometers of roads and 430 kilometers of railways in these territories. Russia annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions in 2022 against international law and without fully occupying them, and has used scorched-earth tactics destroying homes and infrastructure while seeking to Russify occupied territories by forcing Ukrainians to accept Russian passports. Past reconstruction projects in occupied territories have not succeeded as hoped.
Analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) questions Russia's military capabilities, alleging that its leadership operates in an 'alternative reality' and sets 'unrealistically unrealistic schedules' that do not match actual battlefield capabilities. The ISW says Russia has repeatedly set unrealistic goals it has failed to achieve, with troops consuming significant resources and manpower without making significant progress in the last four years, and that military leadership has not modified its demands despite failures and justified complaints.
In international context, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated the US cannot be involved currently in a peace deal because they are dealing with the situation in the Middle East.