The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in its analytical review that the Russian Ministry of Defense published a weekly combat report on the domestic platform Max, filled with exaggerated and unconfirmed data. The military department claimed the alleged capture of several settlements between October 3 and 9, as well as the thwarting of Ukrainian attempts to break out of encirclement in the Kharkiv and Donetsk directions.

Doubts from Experts and Military Bloggers

According to the published data, the Russian side claimed control over 414 square kilometers of territory and 20 settlements in the Kharkiv region following a purported encirclement of Ukrainian Armed Forces units. However, independent analysts, as well as Russian military bloggers themselves, expressed serious doubts about the reliability of these claims, since the Ukrainian command never confirmed the blocking of its forces.

Contradictory Data

While the Russian Ministry of Defense reports on massive cauldrons and successful blocking of Ukrainian maneuvers near Dobropillia and Chorne, official Russian sources and Telegram channels diverge in assessing the scale of events compared to pro-Kremlin resources like Ukraina.ru, which assert that unblocking attempts were repelled. Conversely, ISW and Ukrainian officials emphasize that the Ukrainian army is successfully counterattacking in the Lyman and Kostiantynivka directions, and maintaining positions in the western Zaporizhzhia region, refuting claims of a sweeping Russian offensive.

Tactics of Digital Report Isolation

Analysts drew attention to the fact that the Russian military agency posted this controversial report exclusively on the Max platform, which requires a Russian or Belarusian phone number for registration. Experts view this choice of platform as a deliberate attempt by the Kremlin to minimize international attention to unreliable information and project a beneficial illusion of continuous frontline advancement to domestic audiences amid slowing real operations.

In practice, initiative on certain frontline sectors is shifting to Ukrainian forces, who are improving their positions and expanding control zones, while Russian troops face difficulties in the Lyman, Kupiansk, and Orikhiv sectors. ISW continues to monitor the situation, recording discrepancies between propaganda statements and the actual battlefield reality.