Putin Told Russian Troops Are Just 5 Km From Zaporizhzhia—Ukraine Says the Claim Is False

Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov told Vladimir Putin that Russian forces had captured the settlement of Malokaterynivka and advanced to within five kilometers of Zaporizhzhia, a claim rejected by Ukrainian military officials, who say the settlement remains firmly under Ukrainian control.

According to Maksym Kravchuk, public affairs officer of Ukraine’s Southern Group of Forces, on October 18, Ukrainian troops remain present in Malokaterynivka, approximately 12 kilometers from the southern outskirts of Zaporizhzhia.

“This is false. Malokaterynivka remains under Ukrainian control, approximately 12 km from the southern outskirts of the city. Video recorded today in the settlement shows Ukrainian soldiers present there,” Kravchuk said.

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War in Ukraine

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Gerasimov presented the alleged advance as part of Russia’s ongoing offensive toward Zaporizhzhia. Russian state-aligned media also reported that Moscow’s Dnipro grouping had captured Malokaterynivka, portraying the settlement as another territorial gain for Russian forces.

Earlier, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) challenged Gerasimov’s claims that Russian forces were within five kilometers of Zaporizhzhia, estimating their positions at least 20.95 kilometers from the city, or approximately 11.6 kilometers when accounting for limited infiltration attempts.

ISW also found that Russia’s territorial gains in 2026 were roughly 45 times smaller than those claimed by Putin, describing Moscow’s exaggerated battlefield reports as part of a broader information campaign aimed at portraying Russian advances as inevitable.

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