Putin says Russia is moving closer to achieving goals in Ukraine

By Vladimir Soldatkin and Andrew Osborn

MOSCOW (Reuters) - 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 kilometre 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.

Discussing the continued presence of Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region, Putin said Kyiv's troops would definitely be forced out, but declined to say exactly when that would happen.

Putin also touted what he said was the invincibility of the "Oreshnik" hypersonic missile which Russia has already test- fired at a Ukrainian military factory, saying he was ready to organise another launch at Ukraine and see if Western air defence systems could shoot it down.

"There is no chance of shooting down these missiles," said Putin.

"Let Western experts propose to us, and let them propose to those in the West and the U.S. who pay them for their analysis, to conduct some kind of technological experiment, say, a high-tech duel of the 21st century.

"Let them determine some target for destruction, say in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defence and missile defence forces there, and we will strike there with Oreshnik and see what happens. We are ready for such an experiment, but is the other side ready?" he said.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Reuters Moscow Buro; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)