Putin privately boasted Russia would take Donbas by mid-October — Zelenskyy
Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (president.gov.ua)
Vladimir Putin's claims about advances on the front lines in Ukraine are false, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says in an interview with Axios.
Zelenskyy explained to US President Donald Trump that Putin's statements are untrue. Moreover, American intelligence has also shown that no one is winning on the battlefield right now.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian intelligence found out that Putin privately boasted to his allies that Russia would occupy the entire Donbas by October 15, but that deadline has passed.
Zelenskyy says Russia cannot do this, as it does not have enough people and its strong battalions have been destroyed. He adds that today, on the battlefield, the situation has basically been the same for the last 2-3 months.
Situation near Pokrovsk
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in September alone, Russian losses in the Pokrovsk direction increased by almost 30%. In the defense zone of the 7th Corps of the Airborne Forces, 1,851 Russian troops were neutralized last month.
An active defensive operation is ongoing in this direction. Despite significant losses, Russia continues to attempt to break through Ukrainian defenses.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are conducting stabilization and counter-sabotage measures in the Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region, both in the city itself and its surroundings, as well as on the front line as part of active defense.
Yesterday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the situation in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration and on the Ocheretyne section of the Pokrovsk direction remains difficult. Russia has superior numbers and is stepping up its offensive efforts.
