Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 29, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Russian Defence Minister claims increased military advances in Ukraine, with significant infrastructure damage and focus on drone improvements.
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said on Friday that the Russian army had sped up its rate of advance in Ukraine and was taking control of 600-700 square km (502 square miles) a month compared to 300-400 square km at the start of the year.
Belousov also said that Russia had inflicted significant damage on Ukraine's military and industrial infrastructure carrying out 35 mass strikes this year on what he called 146 critically important targets.
"As a result, the infrastructure of 62% of key enterprises in Ukraine's military-industrial complex has been damaged," Belousov said.
"I would particularly like to highlight strikes that reduce production capacity, as well as those targeting logistics centres and launch sites for long-range strike drones."
Reuters could not verify his battlefield assettions.
Belousov said that Russia had more work to do on improving its own drone capabilities, including training drone operators more quickly.
Another priority he identified was improving the speed at which tactical groups could move.
"This year, 22,725 motorcycles, quad bikes and buggies have been delivered. By the end of the year, a further 12,186 units of this equipment are expected to be transferred to the armed forces," he said.
(Reporting by ReutersEditing by Andrew Osborn)
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov stated that the Russian army has sped up its rate of advance in Ukraine, taking control of 600-700 square kilometers.
Belousov claimed that Russia has inflicted significant damage on Ukraine's military and industrial infrastructure, with 62% of key enterprises affected.
He noted that Russia needs to enhance its drone capabilities, particularly by training operators more quickly.
Belousov mentioned that 22,725 motorcycles, quad bikes, and buggies have been delivered, with an additional 12,186 units expected by the end of the year.
According to Belousov, Russia has carried out 35 mass strikes this year targeting 146 critically important sites in Ukraine.
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