Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his most detailed comments on the Ukraine war in weeks, said on Tuesday that Russia was winning the conflict and described Ukraine's leadership as "terrorists" with whom Moscow could not negotiate. He acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks inside Russia had caused real damage and said drones posed a particular challenge. At the same time, Putin asserted that Russian forces were advancing on the battlefield, saying, "I have no doubt the enemy will crumble," though he declined to predict when that would happen. He dismissed rumours of a new military mobilization as "utter nonsense." According to Putin, Russian troops captured 270 square kilometres (168 square miles) of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine during August.