Ukraine Dismisses Russia’s Latest Claimed Territorial Advances as ‘An Illusion’

Russia says its forces captured more than 1,800 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory and 92 settlements since the beginning of September. Chief of Russia’s General Staff Valery Gerasimov presented the claim to President Vladimir Putin. The claimed gains include Dobropillia and alleged advances toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Ukraine’s General Staff spokesman Andriy Kovaliov rejects those statements. He says Ukrainian forces have liberated more territory since the beginning of fall than Russia has captured. Kovaliov also says Dobropillia remains under Ukrainian control, despite sustained Russian attacks, and denies that Russian troops reached the outskirts of Kramatorsk or entered Sloviansk’s suburbs.

The competing claims show how difficult battlefield information can be to confirm. Reuters could not independently verify either side’s account. Kovaliov accused Russia’s military leadership of creating an illusion of major victories for political leaders and domestic audiences. The disagreement remains unresolved in the reported fighting.

An area of 1,800 square kilometers equals 695 square miles, according to the article. That is a large physical area, especially when paired with nearly 100 settlements. The number describes territory, while the settlement count shows how many populated places Russia says it has taken. Those figures suggest a broad claimed advance rather than one isolated capture.

The military significance would depend on the territory’s location, roads, defenses, population centers, and ability to be held. In this case, the article connects the claims to Russia’s pressure on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, important cities in the Donetsk region. However, the specific claims are disputed, so the scale cannot be treated as independently confirmed.

The numbers therefore matter politically as well as militarily. A large claimed gain could demonstrate momentum and support Russia’s stated aim of taking all Donetsk. Ukraine’s rejection shows that counting territory is contested. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield claims.

“Fortress belt” is a label for a line of heavily defended urban positions. In this article, it refers to cities including Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. The term highlights their role as connected defensive centers rather than ordinary isolated settlements. Their defenses help shape the ground campaign in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has been bearing down on both cities, although Ukraine rejects claims that Russian troops reached Kramatorsk’s outskirts or Sloviansk’s suburbs. The two cities are strategically important because their capture would bring Russia closer to its stated goal of controlling the entire Donetsk region. Dobropillia lies southwest of them and is also part of the disputed fighting.

The belt matters because progress against one major city can affect pressure on the others. Still, the article does not confirm that Russia has reached either city’s outskirts. Russia’s advances have slowed this year, and Reuters could not independently verify the competing battlefield accounts.

A settlement’s status is not always simple during active fighting. Troops may attack, withdraw, hold only part of a town, or remain near its outskirts. Reports can therefore use different meanings of “captured,” “controlled,” or “advanced.” In a contested battlefield, reliable confirmation may also be delayed or impossible.

The article gives a clear example. Gerasimov told Putin that Russian forces had made major gains and reached the outskirts of Kramatorsk. Kovaliov rejected those claims, saying Dobropillia remained under Ukrainian control and Russian troops had not reached the reported positions near the two cities.

The accounts also serve political audiences. Kovaliov says Russia’s military leadership is creating an illusion of major victories for political leaders and domestic audiences. Ukraine has a reason to challenge those claims, while Russia has a reason to highlight advances. These incentives help explain the sharp contrast, but Reuters could not independently verify either account.

The immediate strategic gain would be control of two major cities in the so-called fortress belt. The article links their capture directly to Russia’s goal of seizing the entire Donetsk region. Taking them would therefore represent more than a local battlefield success; it would advance Russia’s campaign for regional control.

The reported fighting shows why the cities matter. Russian forces have been bearing down on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, while Ukraine denies Russian claims of reaching their outskirts. Dobropillia, southwest of the cities, also remains under Ukrainian control according to Ukraine’s General Staff spokesman, despite sustained Russian attacks.

The longer-term consequence would depend on whether Russia could actually capture and hold the cities and continue advancing across Donetsk. The article does not provide a confirmed outcome. Russia’s advances have slowed this year, and Reuters could not independently verify the claims about positions near either city.

When ground lines move little, attacks from the air offer another way to pressure an opponent. The article describes a deadly “kill zone” along largely static front lines, while both sides have intensified missile and drone campaigns. These attacks can reach targets beyond the immediate ground positions and keep the wider war active.

Russia fired hundreds of ballistic missiles during the summer and early fall. It is widely expected to target critical infrastructure, including heating and power sites, during winter. Ukraine has a much smaller missile arsenal, so it has launched hundreds of long-range drone attacks instead. Its targets have included Russian oil refineries, ships, and commercial sites.

The campaigns show different tools and vulnerabilities. Russia is expected to use missiles against infrastructure, while Ukraine uses drones against economic and maritime targets. The article does not predict how effective these attacks will be. It indicates that air operations are likely to remain important as ground fighting stays largely static.

In modern warfare, territorial control means having forces that can operate in an area and prevent an opponent from doing so. A claimed capture is not necessarily secure control. Holding land requires continued presence, defense, and the ability to withstand attacks. That is why battlefield claims can remain disputed even after a side announces a victory.

The article illustrates this problem through Dobropillia. Russia claims broad gains, but Ukraine says the town remains under Ukrainian control despite sustained attacks. It also disputes Russian claims about reaching Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. These disagreements show that control involves more than announcing an advance or appearing near a city.

Territory can matter because it supports broader military aims. Here, the cities are important because their capture would bring Russia closer to taking the entire Donetsk region. Yet the article gives no independently verified map of control. Reuters could not confirm either side’s battlefield claims.