Zelenskyy refutes claims that Russia captured Dobropillia and advanced towards Zaporizhzhia

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine has reclaimed more territory than Russia has captured since the beginning of autumn. He also stressed that Dobropillia remains under Ukrainian control and that Russian forces are about 20 km from Zaporizhzhia, rather than the 5 km Russian military officials reportedly told Vladimir Putin.

Source: Zelenskyy in his evening address on 18 October

Details: Zelenskyy said he heard a report from Mykhailo Drapatyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and that "we are seeing results on the front".

Quote: "The situation in Dobropillia – we are destroying Russian attempts to launch assaults there, eliminating infiltrations. It's not easy, but our guys are destroying them. We are defending our positions in other areas of the Donetsk Oblast as well as in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. We are seeing results from the operations of the Airborne Assault Forces and the Third Army Corps – from our active defence.

The trend this year continues – since the start of autumn, our warriors have liberated more territory than the Russians have managed to capture. The same was true at other points this year."

Details: Zelenskyy noted that the defence forces are continuing to exert pressure at the front.

Quote: "Dobropillia, Kostiantynivka, Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka, Orikhiv, Novopavlivka, Novoandriivka and Velykomykhailivka are all under Ukrainian control. We are also defending the areas near Kramatorsk and destroying Russian forces 20 km from Zaporizhzhia, not 5, as someone over there in Russia is snowing Putin."

Background: On 17 October, Ukraine's General Staff refuted claims by Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, that Russian forces have captured 92 settlements since early September, including Kostiantynivka and Dobropillia and advanced to within 5 km of the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia.

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