President Putin Admits The Situation In Four Ukrainian Regions Annexed By Russia Is Very Difficult

JAKARTA - President Vladimir Putin said the situation in four Ukrainian regions that Moscow has declared part of Russia was very difficult, ordering security services to step up surveillance to secure its borders and combat new threats.

President Putin's remarks on Security Service Day coincided with Kyiv's call for more arms, as Moscow's attacks escalate.

President Putin's comments made on Security Service Day, widely celebrated in Russia, come as Kyiv renews calls for more weapons in the wake of Moscow's drone attacks and fears of a new front from Belarus.

In a rare admission that the invasion of Ukraine has not gone smoothly, President Putin warned of the difficult situation in the Ukrainian territory annexed by Moscow in September, ordering the Federal Security Service (FSB) to ensure the "safety" of people living there.

"The situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, is very difficult," Putin said late Monday.

President Putin ordered the FSB to increase surveillance of Russian society and state borders, to combat "new emerging threats" from abroad and traitors at home.

In September, President Putin 'defiantly' moved to annex around 15 percent of Ukraine's territory. But earlier this month, he said the war "could be a long process."

The move to annex the territory was condemned by Kyiv and its Western allies as illegal.

President Putin made his first visit to Belarus since 2019 on Monday, raising concerns in Ukraine about the wider involvement of the Belarusian armed forces in the invasion.

The Kremlin rejected suggestions President Putin wanted to push Belarus into a more active role. The RIA Novosti news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying such reports were "baseless" and "stupid".