Putin claimed two fictitious victories for Russia
Vladimir Putin claimed that Russian troops were allegedly 12 km away from the Sumy ring road and that Russia had captured Svyatogorsk in the Donetsk region. However, data from DeepState maps do not corroborate these claims.
During a press conference, Putin spoke about the Russian army’s alleged successes on several sections of the front.
Speaking about the Sumy sector, the Russian dictator stated that the Russian Federation’s “North” military group continues to establish a so-called “security zone” along the Ukrainian-Russian border.
“There are 12 kilometers left to Sumy, to the Sumy ring road,” Putin said.
This figure differs from the one Putin cited in late June. At that time, he said that Russian troops were allegedly 10.5 km away from Sumy. OSINT channels have drawn attention to this discrepancy. According to their data, the distance from Russian troop positions to Sumy is approximately 17.5 km and has not changed since May 2025.
You can check the situation on the front lines using DeepState’s online map of hostilities. The map shows the front line and the territories controlled by each side.
There is another detail in Putin’s statement. He cited the Sumy ring road as a reference point, even though the city does not have a ring road. OSINT analysts also noted this detail.
Separately, the Russian dictator announced the alleged capture of Svyatogorsk in the Donetsk region by Russian troops.
“Over the past month, 14 settlements have come under the control of Russian troops, including the liberation of Kozacha Lopan, and yesterday—the city of Svyatogorsk,” Putin said.
The statement regarding Svyatogorsk also does not match the data from combat maps. According to OSINT sources that compared maps from DeepState, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), and analyst Andrew Perpetua, Russian troops are located approximately 9.5 km from the city.
The DeepState map does not list Svyatogorsk as a settlement under Russian military control.
Putin also claimed that Russian troops were advancing in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions and named a number of settlements that, according to him, had come under Russian control. His statements regarding the situation on the front lines do not constitute independent confirmation of changes to the line of contact.
As a reminder, Putin threatened Ukraine with new strikes on its energy infrastructure.
During the summit in Bishkek, the Russian delegation, led by dictator Vladimir Putin, held a meeting with the Chinese delegation, during which the Kremlin leader attempted to paint a rosy picture of a shared future for Russia and China to Xi Jinping. But the whole thing turned out to be quite pathetic.
