Ukraine firmly dismissed claims made by Russia on Saturday that it has seized over 1,800 square kilometers of territory and nearly 100 settlements, including the eastern city of Dobropilia, since September 1.
General Valeri Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, reported to President Vladimir Putin on Friday that Russian forces had captured 92 Ukrainian localities and achieved significant territorial gains since the start of last month.
However, Andrii Kovaliov, spokesperson for the Ukrainian General Staff, characterized these assertions as false. He stated, “In fact, through their active operations, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have liberated more territory since the beginning of autumn than the enemy has managed to capture.”
Kovaliov further accused the Russian military leadership of fostering an illusion of major victories for its political leadership and domestic audience.
While Russia’s advance along the front lines has slowed this year, it continues to exert pressure on key cities in the so-called fortified belt, namely Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Capturing these cities would bring Russia closer to its goal of occupying the entire industrialized Donetsk region.
He also refuted Gerasimov’s claims that Russian troops have reached the outskirts of Kramatorsk and are advancing in the suburbs of Sloviansk, asserting that Dobropilia remains under Ukrainian control despite sustained Russian assaults.
Reuters has been unable to independently verify the claims regarding the battlefield situation.
With many front lines mostly static along a perilous “kill zone,” both sides have intensified their aerial campaigns. Russia launched hundreds of ballistic missiles during the summer and early autumn, and it is expected to target critical infrastructure, including thermal and electrical plants, as winter approaches.
Ukraine, which has a significantly smaller arsenal of missiles, has conducted hundreds of long-range drone attacks on Russian refineries, ships, and depots to disrupt the Russian war machine.
