Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The bloggers accused the Russian Chief of the General Staff of fabricating battlefield success.
In it’s latest update on the war in Ukraine, The Institue for the Study of War (ISW) says that Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared in military attire for a high-profile meeting with senior Russian commanders on October 26.
The session, held with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and heads of Russia’s main force groupings, marked only the third time, Putin has chosen to show himself in a military attire.
The meeting was about the alleged Russian battlefield advances, and if Gerasimov is to be trusted, the Russian army is making great gains in Ukraine – but even pro-Kremlin military bloggers are disputing his claims.
What did Gerasimov claim?
Gerasimov opened the meeting by asserting that Russian forces were continuing operations to capture all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions—territories Russia claims to have annexed in 2022.
His statement reiterated the Kremlin’s longstanding demand for Ukraine to surrender full control of the four regions, even as Moscow has hinted at potential territorial exchanges in the south.
Gerasimov also claimed, without evidence, that Russian troops had encircled up to 5,500 Ukrainian soldiers near Pokrovsk and blocked 31 Ukrainian battalions in the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad area.
He alleged that Russian units from the 2nd Combined Arms Army and the 51st Combined Arms Army were advancing along converging routes and had completed the encirclement.
Gerasimov said efforts to isolate the area and disrupt Ukrainian supply lines had aided the operation—referring to recent Russian drone strikes on logistics routes.
Claims 18 Ukrainian battalions were trapped
Gerasimov further claimed that Russia’s Western Grouping of Forces had surrounded the city of Kupyansk after capturing crossings over the Oskil River.
According to him, 18 Ukrainian battalions were trapped in Kupyansk. However, similar Russian claims in recent months—such as assertions in 2024 and early 2025 that Ukrainian troops were surrounded in Kursk Oblast—were later proven false. Independent monitoring indicated no large-scale Ukrainian encirclements during those periods.
Gerasimov also stated that Russian troops had taken control of more than 70 percent of Vovchansk, northeast of Kharkiv, and seized several settlements near Lyman and Kostyantynivka.
He described continued fighting in Siversk and Kostyantynivka’s urban areas.
Milbloggers accuse Gerasimov of fabricating advances
Russian military bloggers quickly disputed Gerasimov’s statements, accusing him of fabricating victories.
Several claimed there was still an open corridor near Pokrovsk and that Russian troops lacked full control of Ukrainian supply routes.
One blogger remarked that the front line was porous, with Russian units infiltrating rather than fully encircling Ukrainian positions.
Others described the situation in Pokrovsk and Kupyansk as “100 percent chaos,” noting that Ukrainian forces often remain in settlements Moscow claims to have captured.
Another blogger wrote that Gerasimov was “getting ahead of himself again,” suggesting the general’s reports were designed to impress foreign audiences—including U.S. President Donald Trump—by exaggerating Ukrainian difficulties.
Limited evidence of gains
ISW reported it has seen no verifiable proof to support Gerasimov’s claims.
The think tank’s analysis indicates Russian troops control only about 23 percent of Vovchansk and have made minor advances in eastern Kostyantynivka after infiltration missions.
ISW also found no evidence of Russian presence in Siversk.
Analysts noted that the Kremlin continues to frame small territorial gains as major victories.
The settlements cited by Gerasimov, such as Dronivka and Pleshchiivka, are tiny—each under six square kilometers with pre-war populations of around 600 people—yet presented as strategic breakthroughs in Russian state media.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, which may have used AI in the preparation
