Russian general lying to Putin about "capture" of Dobropillia, which remains unoccupied – head of Zelenskyy's office

The city of Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast remains under Ukrainian control, but a Russian general has deliberately misled Russian leader Vladimir Putin by claiming it has been captured, says Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Ukrainian President's Office.

Source: Budanov on Telegram

Quote from Budanov: "Colonel General Andrei Ivanayev, commander of Russia's Centre Group of Forces, is deliberately feeding the Russian leader false information, intimidating his subordinates and giving them unrealistic orders to capture Dobropillia at any cost, after already claiming that the Ukrainian city had been taken."

Details: Budanov stressed that Dobropillia has not been occupied.

"The objective fact is that Dobropillia is under Ukrainian control, and therefore there is no question of any 'capture' of this Ukrainian city by Russian troops," Budanov said.

He added that Ukraine's defence forces are holding their positions, and "no false statements will change reality".

"Right now, difficult negotiations are underway for a lasting peace, which is needed not only by Ukraine. At this difficult moment, it is necessary for all parties to act reasonably, in particular to assess the situation realistically and convey truthful information," Budanov concluded.

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 had captured 92 settlements since early September, including Kostiantynivka and Dobropillia and advanced to within 5 km of the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia.
• On 18 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated 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. He also added that since the beginning of autumn, the defence forces have liberated more territory than the Russians have managed to capture.

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