Putin exaggerated Russia's successes at the front to create an illusion of victory - ISW
Kyiv • UNN
ISW stated that Putin and Russian commanders are exaggerating troop advances to spread the narrative of Russia's inevitable victory. Analysts refuted claims about the capture of settlements and the approach to Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Sloviansk.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, during a "staged" meeting with several Russian commanders, significantly exaggerated facts about the Russian Federation's advances on the battlefield in order to spread a narrative of continuous military successes. This is reported in a article by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that during the meeting, Putin repeated his "consistent statements" that Russian troops had captured the entire Luhansk region and were continuing their offensive along the entire front line.
Since the beginning of 2026, Russian troops have captured or infiltrated 64 settlements and captured or infiltrated approximately 621.7 square kilometers across the entire theater of military operations. In June 2026, Russian troops captured or infiltrated 20 settlements and gained or infiltrated approximately 30.42 square kilometers in the theater of operations. These figures include settlements that Russian troops have only partially infiltrated, but even the inclusion of partially infiltrated settlements does not correspond to the fabricated reality created by Putin
Also, according to them, Russian commanders made a series of "exaggerated claims" regarding the positions of Russian troops relative to the actual and declared front line in Ukraine, "demonstrating the extent to which the Russian military command is disconnected from the battlefield itself."
The commanders claimed that Russian troops are 10 kilometers from the northern outskirts of the city of Sumy, 22 kilometers from Siversk, and 8 kilometers from Sloviansk, that Russian troops have entered Dobropillia and Hannivka (directly northeast of Dobropillia), and that Russian troops are nine kilometers from the southern outskirts of the city of Zaporizhzhia
They refute the relevant information from the Russian military leadership and assert that "Putin's and the Russian military command's exaggerated claims about Russia's actions on the battlefield are part of an ongoing Russian cognitive warfare narrative that seeks to portray Russia's victory in Ukraine as inevitable and Ukrainian front lines as being destroyed."
Recall
Earlier, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported that Kostiantynivka had been completely taken. Putin announced the creation of a "security zone" in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
Subsequently, President Zelenskyy stated that Putin's claims about the capture of Kostiantynivka are false. He suggested Putin meet there for diplomatic solutions.
Later, the Russian Defense Ministry proposed that Ukraine cease shelling Kostiantynivka from 12:00 to 18:00 Moscow time on July 6.