Russia Says It Took Control of Eighty Settlements of Ukraine in 2026

(MENAFN) Russia announced Tuesday that its armed forces have seized more than 1,700 square kilometers — exceeding 1,000 square miles — of Ukrainian territory since the start of the year, alongside control of at least 80 settlements across multiple fronts.

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov disclosed that March and April alone accounted for roughly 700 square kilometers (434 square miles) of those gains, encompassing 34 settlements. Gerasimov further asserted that Russian troops have achieved full dominance over Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region.

In the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka fortified corridor, Gerasimov confirmed the capture of six settlements in March, followed by the village of Dibrova in April. Simultaneously, Russian forces are pressing forward across several other axes, carving out what Moscow terms a "security zone" spanning Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions — with 15 settlements falling in March and the Kharkiv localities of Vovchanski Khutory and Zybine taken in April.

Gerasimov identified the Krasnyi Lyman direction as the war's fiercest flashpoint, stating Russian units now hold approximately 70% of the city. In the Donetsk region, the settlements of Hryshyne and Pavlivka have also come under Russian control, he said.

Further south, Gerasimov reported that certain units are actively pushing to extend a "security zone" into the Dnipropetrovsk region, with intense combat ongoing for Novopavlivka — more than 75% of which he claimed is already under Russian jurisdiction. In the Zaporizhzhia region, Boikove and Luhivske have been captured west of Huliaipole, while Gerasimov separately announced the fall of Veselianka as troops press toward the city of Zaporizhzhia.

Kyiv has not issued a formal response to Moscow's assertions. The claims remain independently unverifiable given the active state of the conflict.

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