Putin meets Russian Security Council to discuss progress on Ukraine war

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday met the country's Security Council, according to a Kremlin statement.

Opening the council's first meeting of the year, Putin said he would like to discuss the progress of the "special military operation" in Ukraine, which began last February.

He also informed the participants about the international contacts he had recently.

Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, meanwhile, presented a report on his recent visit to command headquarters of a group of forces deployed in Ukraine.