The city of Dobropole in Donetsk region remains under the control of Ukrainian armed forces, and Moscow's claims that it has been captured by the Russian army do not correspond to reality. This was stated by the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Kirill Budanov, in a Telegram post, quoted by UNIAN, reports News.bg.
His statement is in response to the message of Russian President Vladimir Putin from October 16, when he announced that Russian troops had established control over the city.
Budanov stressed that against the backdrop of complex negotiations to achieve lasting peace, all participants must realistically assess the situation and provide reliable information.
„At this difficult moment, it is necessary for all parties to act thoughtfully, in particular, to realistically assess the situation and provide reliable information. The objective fact is that Dobropole is under the control of Ukraine and therefore there can be no talk of any „takeover“ of this Ukrainian city by Russian troops“, he said.
Budanov accused the Russian commander of misleading Putin
According to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, the commander of the Russian group of troops “Center“, Colonel General Andrey Ivanov, is knowingly providing false information to the Russian president about the situation on the front.
Budanov claims that the Russian general has already reported on the capture of Dobropole and is now trying at all costs to achieve a military result that would confirm his previous reports.
According to the Ukrainian representative, Ivanov is putting pressure on his subordinates, making threats and assigning them impossible combat tasks in order to demonstrate that Russian forces have established control over the city.
“No false statements will change reality“, he stressed Budanov.
Putin announces Russian control over several Ukrainian territories
On October 16, Vladimir Putin said that Russian troops had captured Dobropole. He also announced that Luhansk Oblast was now fully under Russian control, while Ukrainian forces continued to hold approximately 10% of the territory of Donetsk Oblast and about 16.5% of Zaporizhia Oblast.
Ukrainian authorities rejected these claims.
Two days later, on October 18, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Dobropole, Konstantinovka, Alekseevo-Druzhkovka, Orekhov, Novopavlovka, Novoandreevka, and Velikomykhaylovka remained under Ukrainian control.
At the same time, Zelensky acknowledged that the situation in the Dobropole area remained complicated. He said Ukrainian forces are repelling Russian assaults and countering enemy attempts to penetrate their defensive positions.
Dobropole remains important for defense in Donetsk region
Dobropole is located in the western part of Donetsk region and is important for Ukrainian defense in this sector of the front.
The conflicting reports from Moscow and Kiev about control of the city come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war. In these negotiations, the situation on the battlefield remains one of the main factors influencing the positions of the participants.
At present, the claims of both sides about control of Dobropole have not been independently confirmed.