ISW exposes Gerasimov's lies about Russia's territorial conquests: what is the real situation. Map

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov greatly exaggerated the alleged statistics on territorial gains in Ukraine. The general of the aggressor country's army said that it captured about 4,500 square kilometers in 2024.

This is stated in the report of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Analysts gave other figures, including percentages.

"We have received confirmation that Russian troops captured only 3,306 square kilometers in 2024," they said.

The ISW added that Gerasimov's exaggerated figures contrast with more accurate statements made by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov at a meeting of the department's board on December 16. At that time, he said, for example, that the average daily speed of movement of Russian troops on the Ukrainian front was about 30 square kilometers.

ISW obtained geolocation evidence to estimate that Russian troops advanced at a rate of about 27.96 square kilometers per day in November 2024.

In terms of percentages, Belousov also exaggerated some figures. According to ISW, Russian troops occupied about 99% of the Luhansk region, 66% of the Donetsk region, and 73% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine. This statistic does not include the total amount of Ukrainian territory captured by Russia, including the temporarily occupied Crimea.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, amid talks in the West about the need for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it was unacceptable for Ukraine to legally recognize the occupied territories as Russian. At the same time, he allowed for the possibility of a diplomatic solution to peace.

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