Analysts from the prestigious American Institute - ISW (Institute for the Study of War) carefully studied the statements of Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and revealed that the figures in it do not correspond to reality.
According to the daily analytical report published on Sunday, August 31, Gerasimov sharply overstated the achievements of the Russian army during the spring-summer campaign in Ukraine.
The day before, the head of the Russian General Staff announced that since March 2025, Russian troops have occupied 149 settlements and more than 3,500 square kilometers of territory in Ukraine. However, based on an analysis of photographs and videos received from the front, the ISW reported that in reality, the Russian army managed to occupy an area of 2,346 square kilometers and approximately 130 settlements.
At the same time, Gerasimov stated that 79% of the Donetsk region, 76% of the Kherson region, and 74% of Zaporizhzhia have fallen under Russian control. However, ISW analysts, providing accurate figures, recorded 76.7% in Donetsk, 73.2% in Kherson, and 73% in the Zaporizhzhia region. Only the figures for Luhansk came close: both sides estimated it at 99.7%.
The ISW report emphasizes that through such statements, the Kremlin attempts to exert psychological influence on Western countries, that is, to create an impression that Russia is rapidly and successfully advancing on the front.
"The Kremlin wants to promote in the Western public and politicians the idea that Russia's military goals will inevitably be realized, and Ukraine must submit to Russian demands, while the West must abandon its support for Kyiv," the analytical report says.
Thus, this ISW statement once again demonstrated that Russian officials' figures should be viewed with skepticism. Experts reminded that behind every figure given by Moscow could be propaganda or political motives.
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