Putin says situation extremely difficult in Russian-annexed Ukrainian regions - Reuters

KYIV, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said the concern successful 4 areas of Ukraine that Moscow has unilaterally declared portion of Russia was proving "extremely difficult", 1 of his clearest nationalist admissions yet that his penetration is not going to plan.

He besides called for an summation successful surveillance successful his comments to people Security Services Day successful Russia connected Tuesday. They followed a sojourn to adjacent state Belarus that fuelled fears, dismissed by the Kremlin, that the state could assistance Russia unfastened a caller penetration beforehand against Ukraine.

Kyiv renewed calls for much weapons aft Russian drones deed vigor targets successful a 3rd aerial onslaught connected powerfulness facilities successful six days.

Putin ordered the Federal Security Services (FSB) to measurement up surveillance of Russian nine and the country's borders to combat the "emergence of caller threats" from overseas and traitors astatine home. Western countries person imposed unprecedented sanctions connected Russia and the rouble slumped to an implicit seven-month debased against the dollar connected Tuesday aft the European Union agreed to cap prices of gas, a large Russian export.

In a uncommon admittance of the penetration of Ukraine not going smoothly, Putin cautioned astir the hard concern successful regions of Ukraine that Moscow moved to annex successful September and ordered the FSB to guarantee the "safety" of radical surviving there.

"The concern successful the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, successful the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is highly difficult," Putin said successful a video code to information workers translated by Reuters.

In September, Putin sought to regain the inaugural aft a bid of battlefield defeats by declaring that 4 partially occupied regions successful Ukraine's eastbound and southbound had joined Russia. Kyiv and its Western allies said the determination was illegal.

In October, Russian forces drew backmost successful 1 of the regions - Kherson - and dug successful elsewhere. They person failed to summation crushed and earlier this month, Putin said the warfare could beryllium a "long process".

On Monday, Putin made his archetypal sojourn to Belarus since 2019, wherever helium and his counterpart extolled ever-closer ties astatine a quality league precocious successful the evening but hardly mentioned Ukraine. On Tuesday, Russian quality agencies reported that Belarus had reached an knowing with Moscow connected the restructuring of its indebtedness and had agreed connected a fixed terms for Russian state for 3 years.

Kyiv, meanwhile, was seeking much weapons from the West aft weeks of attacks connected vigor facilities which person knocked retired some powerfulness and h2o supplies amid freezing temperatures.

"Weapons, shells, caller defence capabilities ... everything that volition springiness america the quality to velocity up the extremity to this war," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said successful his evening address.

Ukraine's subject said it had changeable down 30 of 35 "kamikaze" drones fired by Russia connected Monday, mostly astatine the superior Kyiv. The unmanned craft alert towards their target, past plummet and detonate connected impact.

Ukrainian officials said connected Tuesday that 5 radical had been killed successful the eastbound Donetsk and confederate Kherson regions, with 8 wounded, and that 21 missiles had knocked retired powerfulness successful the confederate metropolis of Zaporizhzhia.

BELARUS ACTIVITY

To the northwest of Ukraine, determination has been changeless Russian and Belarusian subject enactment for months successful Belarus, which Moscow's troops utilized arsenic a motorboat pad for their abortive onslaught connected Kyiv successful February.

Lukashenko has said repeatedly helium has nary volition of sending his country's troops into Ukraine. But the commandant of Ukraine's associated forces, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, said his state was prepared.

"The level of the subject menace is increasing, but we are taking capable measures," helium was quoted arsenic saying by the defence ministry connected Telegram. "The Armed Forces' General Staff provides for the enlargement of units successful the lawsuit of a important summation successful the different side's forces."

The Kremlin connected Monday dismissed the proposition that Putin wanted to propulsion Belarus into a much progressive role. The RIA Novosti quality bureau quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov arsenic saying specified reports were "groundless" and "stupid".

Both Putin and Lukashenko were besides astatine pains to disregard the thought of Russia annexing oregon absorbing Belarus.

"Russia has nary involvement successful absorbing anyone," Putin said.

Asked astir this comment, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said it should beryllium treated arsenic the "height of irony", fixed it was "coming from a person who is seeking astatine the contiguous moment, close now, to violently sorb his different peaceful next-door neighbour."

FIGHTING GRINDS ON

The 10-month-old struggle successful Ukraine, the largest successful Europe since World War Two, has killed tens of thousands of people, driven millions from their homes and reduced cities to ruins.

Ukraine's General Staff said Russian artillery hammered 25 towns and villages astir Bakhmut and Avdiivka successful the eastbound and respective areas astir Kupiansk, a northeastern municipality retaken by Ukraine successful September.

Alexei Kulemzin, the Russian-installed politician of the metropolis of Donetsk, said Ukrainian shelling deed a infirmary wing, on with a kindergarten, posting connected Telegraph a photograph of what appeared to beryllium a waiting country with smashed furnishings and fittings.

Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield accounts of either side.

Russia says it is waging a "special subject operation" successful Ukraine to escaped it of nationalists and support Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and the West picture the Kremlin's actions arsenic an unprovoked warfare of aggression.

Reporting Ronald Popeski successful Winnipeg, Valentyn Ogirenko successful Kyiv, Lidia Kelly successful Melbourne, Humeyra Pamuk successful Washington and Aleksandar Vasovic successful Belgrade; Writing by Costas Pitas, Shri Navaratnam and Philippa Fletcher; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Nick Macfie

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