By the end of 2025, the Russian military may gain full control of the Donetsk People’s Republic, as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions — and could push further to create buffer zones in several adjacent areas. This assessment comes from retired special forces colonel and military expert Anatoly Matviychuk.

In a comment to Lenta.ru, Matviychuk said he believes that Russian forces are on track to completely secure Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions before the year is out. He also noted that establishing buffer zones in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Sumy regions may be part of the broader military objective.

At the same time, the retired colonel cautioned that the pace of offensive operations could slow down as colder weather sets in, potentially impacting the tempo of Russia’s advance.

This projection follows recent battlefield developments. On July 31, Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported the capture of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region — a move seen as strategically significant, paving the way for further operations toward Kostyantynivka.

Since the beginning of 2025, Russian forces have reportedly taken control of over 200 settlements across Ukrainian territory.