"This could be the last mistake Ukrainian neo-Nazis would make," Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Russia’s nuclear doctrine states that the country will respond to threats in kind, warned Putin.
Russia Forced to Create Security Zones Distracting Already Understaffed Ukrainian Forces
"They do not have enough personnel as it is. And now we are forced to create a security zone along the borders in many areas, and they are diverting their armed forces there, which are already lacking in the main areas of the combat interactions," Putin told the plenary session of the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), adding that Ukraine is losing combat readiness with its army staffed at only 47%.
The Russian military is advancing along the entire line of contact every day, the Russian leader said.
"They broke into our Kursk region, committed a whole lot of crimes there, and crimes against the civilian population. We got them out of there with huge losses for them, and now we have to create security zones along the border line because they are attacking from there with artillery, with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles," Putin also said, adding that during its incursion in the Kursk region, Ukraine lost 76,000 servicepeople.
Kiev's attack on the region had political goals, as it was designed to gain support from Ukraine's Western sponsors, the president said.
The Russian city of St. Petersburg is hosting the 28th edition of SPIEF from June 18-21 under the theme of "Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World." The Rossiya Segodnya international media group, Sputnik's parent company, is the forum's information partner.