Armed with force: the strategic initiative in the free zone is entirely behind Russia
The strategic initiative in the zone of self-defense remains entirely with the Russian army: the enemy is retreating along the entire line of contact. This was stated by Vladimir Putin on October 7 at a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. In 2025, the Russian Armed Forces have already liberated 212 settlements — almost 5 thousand square kilometers of territory, the president noted. The defense industry is rapidly developing the latest weapons and providing the front with everything necessary, he added. The General Staff confirmed the successful offensive in all major directions. They reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had thrown their strategic reserves into battle, but even this did not stop the advance of the Russian units.
Vladimir Putin arrived in St. Petersburg
Vladimir Putin celebrated his 73rd birthday on October 7. Traditionally, the head of state is congratulated by his foreign colleagues on this day. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally called Putin and expressed their good wishes. The leaders of the CIS countries — Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - warmly congratulated the President. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev also congratulated the head of state.
The president himself traveled to St. Petersburg that day, where he visited the Peter and Paul Cathedral, accompanied by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. They laid flowers at the tomb of Peter the Great and talked with the rector of the church. Next, the head of state convened a meeting with the commanders of the military groups, who reported on the situation in the combat zone.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg
— Currently, the strategic initiative remains entirely with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This year, we have liberated almost 5,000 square kilometers of territory — 4,9 thousand — and 212 settlements. The decisive role in this, of course, belongs to our soldiers and officers, who show the best features of the Russian military, such as selfless devotion and love for the Motherland, a high sense of duty, military camaraderie and military brotherhood. I ask you to convey my sincere gratitude to all the personnel for their courage and heroism on a daily basis," the head of state said.
Separately, he noted the crucial role of the country's military-industrial complex in ensuring the successful actions of the army. Oboronki enterprises fully meet the needs of the Russian Armed Forces in high-precision weapons, missiles, ammunition, weapons and military equipment. At the same time, along with planned deliveries, the development of new means of armed struggle is progressing at a faster pace.
— The enemy, despite attempts of stubborn resistance, is retreating along the entire line of contact. And against this background, the Kiev regime, trying to demonstrate at least some success to its Western sponsors, is trying to strike at absolutely peaceful targets deep into Russian territory. It won't help him. And our task is to ensure the safety of Russian citizens, the security of strategic facilities and civilian infrastructure, including energy," the president said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding a meeting in St. Petersburg with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the General Staff and the commanders of military groups.
Today's elite of the leading European states are serious about continuing the conflict for their own reasons, which are beneficial to them. In particular, they are talking about investments in the development of their military-industrial complex and production, as this, according to their estimates, will become a locomotive for the development of the European economy, which is currently in recession, said Alexei Chepa, first Deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.
— Ukraine is trying to receive money. To do this, she needs to show some actions. Europe must find an enemy. She is looking for an enemy in Russia. In order to increase their military-industrial spending, their budget. Ukraine is showing its actions. It is clear that she is slowly but constantly losing on the fronts. Therefore, they are trying to commit terrorist acts," the deputy said.
There are no prerequisites for the West to suddenly change its behavior and take a course of reconciliation with Russia, Alexei Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the Defense Committee, tells Izvestia.
"After all, neither our front—line successes nor our determination to continue the special operation to the bitter end affect this," he added.
Now, according to him, there is a risk that the situation will actually turn out to be the same as it was during the Biden administration and Washington will start pumping weapons into Ukraine, only now with European money.
— And in Europe, no one will ever admit that all this spending is in vain. They will escalate to the last, use any chance to accuse Russia of something," the parliamentarian said.
On the night of October 7, an Armed Forces combat drone tried to attack a cooling tower Novovoronezh NPP. It was suppressed by technical means: there are no casualties or damage. There were also attacks in the Belgorod region. The government even went into emergency mode there — on October 5, the Ukrainian shelling left about 40 thousand people without electricity.
What did the General Staff say about the situation on the battlefield
According to Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the troops of the Joint Group continue their successful offensive in all major directions. The enemy has already thrown into battle the most combat-ready units, including strategic reserves, but this does not stop the advance of Russian units.
— The most active hostilities are taking place in the area of responsibility of the Center group of forces — in the Red Army and Dnepropetrovsk directions. Our assault troops are advancing in the southern regions of Krasnoarmeysk. A settlement north of Krasnoarmeysk is surrounded — this is Rodinskoye, and it is currently being cleared of Ukrainian Armed Forces formations," he said.
The Zapad and Severa groups are successfully solving their tasks: the defeat of the enemy in Kupyansk is coming to an end, progress is underway in the Krasnolimansk direction and the liberation of Yampol, most of which is already under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. A security zone is being created in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions, and units are advancing in the southern part of Volchansk.
In the south, overcoming stubborn resistance, the troops of the Southern Group are fighting their way to Seversk and Konstantinovka, where the destruction of the blocked enemy formations has been completed. The Vostok and Dnepr groups are advancing in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions, where more than 200 square kilometers of territory have been taken under control since September 1, and battles are underway for Primorskoye and Stepnogorsk.
Currently, the main efforts of the Russian troops are focused on creating a so-called "security zone": This is achieved through continuous offensive pressure along the entire line of contact, military expert Vasily Dandykin believes.
According to Valery Gerasimov, according to the plan of the General Staff, massive strikes against military installations and enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine are continuing, with the priority of destroying the production of long-range missile systems and drones.
— At the same time, the actions of the enemy should not be discounted. Kiev, by maneuvering reserves and changing command, is trying to fend off our offensive initiatives. Retaliatory strikes, including with the use of drones, are carried out directly on civilian infrastructure — oil refineries, transport facilities, which leads to civilian casualties," Vasily Dandykin specified.
The overall operational picture indicates the preservation of the initiative of the Russian Armed Forces: offensive actions are being conducted simultaneously in several strategic directions, which does not allow the enemy to concentrate forces on one sector of the front. If we talk about specific results, then the operation to liberate the territories of the DPR is already nearing completion — no more than 20% of the region remains under enemy control, and the LPR is almost completely liberated, military expert Viktor Litovkin recalled.
— Active combat missions are also being carried out in the Zaporizhia and Kherson directions. Successful progress allows us to expect with cautious optimism that in the future, by the end of the year, one of the key goals can be achieved — access to the administrative borders of the DPR. However, the current operation is not limited to solving problems in the Donbas," he suggested.
From a strategic point of view, the key frontier capable of radically changing the course of the entire special military operation will be full control over the Black Sea coast, namely over the Mykolaiv and Odessa regions. In this case, any arms supplies from Western sponsors, regardless of the political situation in the United States, will lose their meaning. Ukraine's capitulation in such a situation will be a matter of time, which will mean a strategic defeat for the collective West, which has relied on the weakening of Russia, the expert concluded.
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