Zelenskyy says Ukraine has recaptured more territory than Russia has occupied since the beginning of autumn

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that, since the beginning of autumn, Ukraine has liberated more territory than Russia has managed to conquer. He claimed that Ukrainian troops control several localities in the east and south of the country and continue to defend areas near the city of Kramatorsk.

According to Zelenskyy, the localities of Dobropillia, Kostiantynivka, Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka, Orikhiv, Novopavlivka, Novoandriivka, and Velykomykhailivka are under Ukrainian control. Around them, Ukrainian forces have created a fortified belt intended to slow the advance of Russian troops.

The leader in Kyiv also stated that the Russian army had been repelled in the Zaporizhzhia region. The assessment is supported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which likewise rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statements regarding alleged advances by Moscow’s forces in this area.

Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than four and a half years, with Western support. Russia claims, among other areas, the Donbas region, composed mainly of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces.