The Russian army “captures” settlements only on maps, then sends soldiers into assaults
Russian forces are increasingly reporting the alleged capture of towns and villages that they do not actually control. This practice is known as “credit capturing,” where commanders report advances and mark settlements as captured on operational maps, even though fighting is still ongoing or Russian units are several kilometres away.
Afterward, military leadership is forced to urgently align the real situation with the false reports. To do this, soldiers are sent into assaults without proper support, resulting in heavy losses.
Pro-Kremlin military expert Oleksandr Zymovskyi notes that at the level of army groups and the General Staff, such reports are standardised, using phrases like “fully liberated” and “mission accomplished” in reports to the top command.
According to Z-blogger Volodymyr Romanov, in some sectors the difference between what is drawn on maps and the actual front line can be 8–10 kilometres.
As a result, troops are sent into attacks rapidly, without reconnaissance, aviation, or artillery support. To compensate for losses, even non-combat specialists are involved in assaults, including signal operators, drone operators, and electronic warfare specialists.
Over the past week, Ukrainian forces achieved a breakthrough on the front, recapturing over 200 square kilometres of territory from Russian forces.
Earlier reports indicated that Ukrainian troops began counteroffensive operations on the eastern front after Russian forces were blocked from accessing Starlink terminals. The outage became a serious problem for the occupiers and opened opportunities for Ukrainian forces to regain positions.
The Ukrainian cyber community dealt a devastating blow to Russian attempts to restore Starlink connectivity.
