“Russian forces are likely falsely claiming that Ukrainian troops are conducting a 'counter-offensive' near the administrative border of the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions in order to refute previous false reports of alleged Russian advances in the area,” the release said.
Its authors note that Russian so-called “military correspondents” reported the advance of Ukrainian troops in the area of Sosnovka, Novoaleksandrovka and Nechaevka and allegedly all the way to Ternovatoe due to fog and the blocking of the use of Starlink satellite communication terminals by the occupiers.
The Institute for the Study of War noted that in fact the Russians did not occupy Ternovatoe (Zaporozhye region), from it to the front line, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, “at least 10–15 km,” and the Russians tried to create the impression of its capture by planting the flag of the Russian Federation by the occupiers who were able to reach Ternovatoe.
“ISW has observed numerous complaints from Russian miliblogers themselves about the systematic practice of Russian commanders sending false reports to their superiors about allegedly offensive actions, […] to justify the retreat of Russian offensive operations to forward positions that Russian troops had likely held for some time,” ISW explained.
