Russia controls more than 70% of the territory of Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions in Ukraine, said Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov, quoted by the BBC.
According to him, Moscow controls 99.7% of the territory of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic and 79% of the territory of Donetsk. In Zaporizhia region, Russian forces control 74% of the territory, and in Kherson - 76%.
Gerasimov stressed that the Russian army "is only targeting military and military-industrial facilities of Ukraine". He cited as an example the nighttime attacks on Zaporizhia, which, according to Ukrainian authorities, killed one person and injured more than 20. Gerasimov said the target was the "Motor Sich" factory.
Regarding the strikes on Kiev on the night of August 28, he listed as targets the "Spetsoboronmash", "Kiev Radio Plant", "Ukrspetssystems" and "Samsung-Ukraine" enterprises, which Moscow claims produce components for the "Sapsan" and "Grom-2" missile systems and for attack drones. Ukrainian authorities reported that the victims of the attack in the capital were 25 people.
"Today, the strategic initiative is entirely in the hands of Russian troops," Gerasimov said, adding that the tasks for the autumn period will be specified in the coming days and that the offensive operations will continue.