Institute for the Study of War disputes Putin's claims of Russian gains in Ukraine

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has contradicted claims made by Vladimir Putin regarding Russian territorial gains in Ukraine during September. While Putin asserted that Russian forces seized 1,301 square kilometers of territory, ISW geolocated data suggests a different reality.

According to the research group, Russian forces recorded 68 square miles of gains against 99 square miles regained by Ukraine, resulting in a net territorial loss of approximately 31 square miles. ISW described Putin’s account of the month’s fighting as being “so far from reality as to resemble hallucinations.”

The discrepancy is viewed as part of a broader Kremlin cognitive warfare effort to present a fictional battlefield reality of sweeping Russian advances.