MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. Russia liberated 80 settlements during its special military operation in 2026, including 35 in March and April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Shanghai Media Group (SMG).
"Around 80 communities were liberated in 2026, including 35 in March and April alone. The process continues," the foreign minister noted.
Lavrov emphasized that Russia is consistently carrying out the objectives of the special military operation. "President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin has said many times: we are not using the means we could, because we don’t want to cause unnecessary damage to territories where, by and large, our own people live - people the Nazis are trying to crush," the Russian foreign minister noted.