AFU General Staff denies Gerasimov's statement about alleged seizure of 300 km² of Ukrainian territory since January start

The Russian Federation’s top military command is engaging in wishful thinking and significantly exaggerating the numbers of its territorial gains in the war of aggression against Ukraine, stated Dmytro Lykhovy, spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in a comment to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, responding to the General Staff’s latest statement on the size of the territory seized by the occupiers.

"Without actually achieving any significant successes on the battlefield, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Gerasimov cited a figure of square kilometers of Ukrainian territory captured since the beginning of January that is twice the actual figure. He also overestimated the size of the territory occupied by Russia during 2025," the spokesperson emphasized.

Lykhovy noted that the Russian army is enjoying tactical success, but is conquering every meter of Ukrainian territory at the cost of enormous losses of its personnel. Thus, in the first 15 days of 2026, Russia has already lost 14,120 of its troops killed and wounded.

"For Gerasimov, his soldiers are expendable, whereas for Ukraine, the life of every defender is the highest value. At the same time, while retreating in places under pressure from a significantly superior enemy, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have avoided any strategic territorial losses since the beginning of 2026 and throughout the past year," the General Staff stated.

As the spokesperson emphasized, Ukrainian units are also conducting counteroffensive operations.

"Thus, during 2025, our troops liberated approximately 300 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory," the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported.

Lykhovy also noted that "no matter how difficult it is, Kyiv and Ukraine will endure."

"Gerasimov can report to his dictator with any number of figures, while also trying to influence Ukraine’s Western partners. But this is definitely not a case where ‘he that has a tongue in his head may find his way anywhere,’" the spokesperson stated.

According to Russian media, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army Valeriy Gerasimov stated that in the first half of January, Russian troops took control of more than 300 square kilometers in Ukraine. Gerasimov also claims that 6,640 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory were seized over the past year.