Ukraine has reclaimed more territory this autumn than Russia has captured, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The president noted that Ukrainian forces are seeing positive outcomes on the battlefield and have intensified their long-range drone campaign targeting Russia.
Zelensky highlighted the ongoing trend, stating, “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.” Ukrainian generals reported that Operation Vivaldi has successfully returned 16 settlements and reclaimed 277 square kilometres.
On another front, Ukrainian forces launched over 1,000 drones against Russia, igniting fires at an oil terminal in St Petersburg and resulting in one death and five injuries. The strikes occurred as the US resumed sharing intelligence with Kyiv. Russia retaliated with multiple strikes on Ukraine’s energy and gas sectors in the last 24 hours.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US conflict monitor, suggests that Russian claims of territorial advances are significantly overstated.
