Russia’s Military Inflates Territorial Gains and Hides Massive Losses in It’s War Agaginst Ukraine

Russia’s senior military leadership is distorting reality and greatly overstating its territorial gains in the war against Ukraine, Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff spokesperson Dmytro Lykhovii said in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine on January 16, reacting to a recent claim by Russia’s General Staff about the amount of land seized by its troops.

“Lacking any truly meaningful successes on the battlefield, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov cited figures for the number of square kilometers of Ukrainian territory captured since the beginning of January that are twice as high as the real ones. He inflated the size of territory occupied by Russia in 2025 by the same factor,” Lykhovii said.

According to him, Russian forces have achieved only limited tactical advances, gaining ground at the cost of extremely heavy personnel losses. He noted that in the first 15 days of 2026 alone, Russia lost 14,120 troops killed and wounded.

“For Gerasimov, his soldiers are expendable material, while for Ukraine the life of every defender is the highest value. At the same time, even when forced to withdraw in certain areas under pressure from a numerically superior enemy, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have neither at the start of 2026 nor throughout last year allowed any strategic territorial losses,” the General Staff stated.

Lykhovii added that Ukrainian units continue to carry out counteroffensive actions.

Read more

Category

War in Ukraine

Russia’s 2025: Three False Claims on Kupiansk, 0.72% of Ukraine Seized, Over 400,000 Troops Lost

Jan 08, 2026 14:17

“Thus, during 2025 our troops liberated around 300 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory,” the Armed Forces said.

The spokesperson added that Gerasimov was free to present any figures he wished to Russia’s leader and attempt to sway Ukraine’s Western partners, but stressed that this was not a situation in which empty words or exaggerated claims could lead to Kyiv.

Earlier, Ukainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine holds a position on the future of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that is fundamentally at odds with Russia’s, stressing that any decision on territorial issues must be made with the approval of the Ukrainian people, even as wider peace negotiations near their final stages.

Support our frontline reporters

We report from the front lines to show the reality of war. Your support helps us stay there and tell the stories that matter.

DONATE NOW