On September 18, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov had inspected the frontline positions and affirmed that Russian forces were making progress in most areas of the conflict in Ukraine.
He stressed that the hottest spot is around Pokrovsk, where Ukraine has launched elite units to block the advance but has not yet achieved results.
According to Gerasimov, the Russian military is expanding control in the Donetsk region, advancing deep into Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, and taking further advances in Kupiansk in Kharkiv and Yampil in the east. He said that Ukraine's mobilization of benefactors to Pokrovsk has created conditions for Russia to open up attacks in many other areas.
For many months, Russia has maintained the rhythm of heavy artillery shelling around Pokrovsk to weaken the enemy's defense. However, comments from Kiev show a contrasting picture.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with Sky News, affirmed that recent attacks by Russia have not brought many results. He said three major attacks had failed and predicted Russia would prepare two new campaigns. According to him, this is an important signal proving Ukraine's resistance.
A Ukrainian commander also said that their forces had stopped the advance near Pokrovsk. Meanwhile, military tracking site DeepState reported that the Ukrainian army gained an advantage in a town near the area. In the Kupiansk direction, a spokesman for a Ukrainian unit said many Russian soldiers were arrested for unsuccessful attempts to penetrate.
