Russia's Top General Lied About Capturing a Whole Region — Again. Why?

Russia's most senior military commander, General Valery Gerasimov, has once again made a false claim about battlefield victories in Ukraine — this time declaring the full "liberation" of the Luhansk region. Ukrainian officials were quick to debunk the statement, confirming that Ukrainian forces still maintain positions in the region, southwest of Svatove. This is the fourth time Russian command has announced the "completion" of Luhansk's capture — with similar claims made in July 2022, June 2025, and October 2025.

The repeated pattern of disinformation has drawn international comparisons to Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf — famously known as "Comical Ali" — the Iraqi information minister who became a global laughing stock for delivering wildly inaccurate battlefield briefings during the 2003 Iraq War.

Gerasimov, one of only three individuals with access to Russia's nuclear arsenal alongside Putin, was appointed Operational Commander of the Ukraine invasion in January 2023. Analysts say his role is as much about managing domestic perception as directing military operations — feeding a propaganda machine designed to sustain Russian public support for a war entering its fourth year.

The disinformation comes at a critical moment. According to Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Russia suffered a record 35,000 personnel losses in March 2026 alone — a 29% increase from February. For the first time since the invasion began in 2022, Russia is losing troops faster than it can mobilise replacements. Ukrainian drone operations are credited with a significant share of those casualties.

The Institute for the Study of War also notes that the amount of territory Russia is capturing per casualty has been in long-term decline — suggesting the battlefield reality is far grimmer than Moscow's press conferences suggest.

Source: The Sun (UK) / Ukrainian Centre for Countering Disinformation / Institute for the Study of War

Видео Russia's Top General Lied About Capturing a Whole Region — Again. Why? канала 𝙀𝙈𝙈𝙔𝙎𝘾𝙊𝙋𝙀 𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎