Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the portion of the Donetsk People’s Republic still under the control of the Kiev authorities has significantly decreased in recent months.

The issue came up during Putin’s meeting with Denis Pushilin, the head of the DPR. During the conversation, the Russian president recalled that earlier estimates suggested Kiev controlled roughly a quarter of the republic’s territory and asked how the situation looks now.

Pushilin reported that Ukrainian forces currently hold about 17% of the DPR. Putin noted that the figures he had received in reports placed the remaining Kiev-controlled area in the range of 15–17%.

The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, along with the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, became part of Russia following referendums held in September 2022. The DPR, LPR and Zaporozhye region were incorporated into the Russian Federation within their administrative borders. The Kherson region, meanwhile, joined Russia together with two districts of the Nikolaev region where voting also took place.

Russian armed forces continue carrying out the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. Russian troops have intensified offensive actions, while the situation for Ukrainian army units remains difficult across several sectors of the line of contact.