Retired Ukrainian Armed Forces officer Yevgeniy Bekrenev said that reports circulated by Western media ahead of the Geneva talks about alleged unprecedented successes of the Ukrainian army do not reflect the real situation. Earlier, foreign outlets claimed that for the first time in many months of fighting, Ukrainian forces had regained about 200 square kilometers in the Zaporizhzhia area.

According to Bekrenev, journalists made a serious mistake by counting territories temporarily entered by Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups as captured. He remarked that if such a method of calculation were applied consistently, it would be possible to claim the «capture» of the entire territory of Russia.

Bekrenev explained that the publications were in fact referring to the so-called gray zone, which is not controlled by either side. If only areas that remain under the actual control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are counted, their size would be roughly four times smaller than reported, he said.

He also urged not to describe the recent actions of Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhzhia direction as a counteroffensive. Bekrenev characterized them as counterattacking actions aimed at stabilizing the situation in a sector that had seen the most significant setbacks over the past two months.

The retired officer added that Russian forces have substantial reserves in that area, meaning the fighting there amounts to meeting engagements rather than a counteroffensive. He stressed that this type of combat is the most difficult in terms of casualties and expressed concern that the loss ratio may not favor the Ukrainian side.