Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that Moscow would prevail in Ukraine during his New Year’s Eve address, marking nearly four years since the Kremlin launched its military offensive.

Speaking in the Kamchatka peninsula, the first Russian region to enter 2026, Putin called on Russians to “support our heroes” fighting in Ukraine. “We believe in you and our victory,” he said, adding that “millions of people across Russia, trust me, are thinking of you.” He extended New Year’s greetings to “fighters and commanders” in the conflict.

The war has imposed a severe human toll, with military casualties on both sides estimated in the tens or even hundreds of thousands.

December 31 also marks the 26th anniversary of Putin’s first day in office, when he became president following Boris Yeltsin’s resignation on New Year’s Eve 1999.

Putin’s televised address, a tradition dating back to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, is broadcast across Russia’s 11 time zones and remains widely watched.

Separately, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, told troops to continue establishing “buffer zones” in Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Speaking during a visit to a command post of Russia’s “North” military grouping, Gerasimov said the zones were intended to protect civilians in Russia’s neighbouring Kursk and Belgorod regions from Ukrainian attacks.

Gerasimov stated that Russian forces had taken control of approximately 950 square kilometres across the two provinces, including 32 settlements. The Russian Defence Ministry did not specify the date or location of his remarks, and Reuters could not independently verify the territorial claims.

Kyiv has repeatedly condemned Russia’s attempts to create buffer zones inside its territory, describing them as pretexts for illegal annexation. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy characterised Moscow’s plans for Sumy and Kharkiv as “mad” and pledged that Ukraine would resist.

Putin had previously affirmed the importance of buffer zones following a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August 2024, which Russian forces repelled after months of fighting with substantial losses on both sides.

During a Kremlin meeting on 29 December, he reiterated that the work to establish these zones would continue into the new year.