Voice of America News reports: “President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russian forces were moving towards achieving their primary goals on the battlefield in Ukraine and touted what he said was the invincibility of Russia’s new hypersonic missile.

Fielding questions on state TV during his annual question and answer session with Russians, Putin said Moscow’s forces were advancing along the whole of the battle front.

‘I must say that the situation is changing dramatically… There is movement along the entire front line. Every day,’ he said.

Western and Russian military analysts say Russia is advancing in eastern Ukraine at the fastest pace since 2022, taking village after village and threatening strategically important cities such as Pokrovsk, a major road and rail hub.

‘Our fighters are reclaiming territory by the square kilometer every day,’ Putin said.

He said the fighting was complex, so it was ‘difficult and pointless to guess what lies ahead… (but) we are moving, as you said, towards solving our primary tasks, which we outlined at the beginning of the special military operation.’

‘Everyone is fighting, literally heroically. And they are fighting right now. Let us wish them all…good luck, victory and to return home,’ he said…”