Russian forces advance toward Rai-Oleksandrivka and Vilne in Donetsk Oblast

“The enemy advanced into Rai-Oleksandrivka and moved closer to Vilne,” the group stated.

DeepState reported on October 4 that Russian forces advanced near the city of Bilytske in the Pokrovsk region of Donetsk Oblast.

Ukrainian General Staff spokesperson Andriy Kovalev refuted claims by Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov that Russian forces had advanced along the frontline on October 17. Kovalev described Gerasimov’s October 16 report, which alleged that Russian troops captured several settlements and reached the outskirts of Kramatorsk and Zaporizhzhya, as an outright lie and manipulation.

He also rejected reports that the Russian military had captured more than 1,800 square kilometers of territory since September 2026. Ukrainian forces have actually liberated more territory than Russian troops managed to seize since the start of autumn, Kovalev stated.

Russian claims regarding the capture of Dobropillia, Kostiantynivka, and Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka, as well as the arrival of Russian forces on the outskirts of Kramatorsk, are false. Dobropillia remains under Ukrainian control and fighting continues in Kostiantynivka, a General Staff spokesperson stated on the morning of October 17.

Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka has also not been captured, and claims regarding an advance toward Kramatorsk do not correspond to the actual situation on the front.

During an October 16 visit to the command post of the Joint Group of Forces, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that his military seized approximately 6,500 square kilometers of territory since the beginning of the year. Valery Gerasimov credited Russian forces with the capture of 92 settlements since September 1.