Russian military command has been lying for the fifth month in a row about battlefield “successes,” claiming that Russian forces are advancing west of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. However, this does not correspond to reality, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
On May 16, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov made a series of false claims regarding the situation in the Kupiansk, Borova, and Lyman directions.
In particular, he claimed that Russian forces were advancing west of Kupiansk toward Shevchenkove, creating a false impression that Russian troops had captured Kupiansk and were holding positions west of the city.
Gerasimov also claimed that Russian forces had entered Velyka Shapkivka (northwest of Kupiansk), captured the entire Borova (south of Kupiansk) and Kutkivka (north of Kupiansk), and taken about 50% of Shykivka and 85% of Lyman.
At the same time, ISW data does not confirm these claims. Analysts state that Russian forces do not hold fortified positions in Kupiansk and that only a small number of Russian saboteurs remain in the city.
The claims that Russian troops occupy positions in Velyka Shapkivka, Shykivka, Kutkivka, or Lyman are also false. In reality, Russian forces have penetrated only about 14.2% of Kupiansk, 6.5% of Kutkivka, and 0.06% of Lyman.
Currently, Russian forces are closest to Shykivka (about two kilometers away) and Velyka Shapkivka (about four kilometers away).
Photo: ISW
ISW notes that Gerasimov...
Russian military command has been lying for the fifth month in a row about battlefield “successes,” claiming that Russian forces are advancing west of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. However, this...