Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 16 visited an auxiliary command post of the Joint Group of Forces in military uniform and heard reports from commanders. He said about 6,500 square kilometers of territory and 310 settlements had come under the control of Russian troops since the start of the year.
Putin claimed Kyiv still controls slightly more than 10% of the Donetsk People’s Republic and 16.5% of the Zaporizhzhia region, while the Luhansk People’s Republic is entirely under Russian control. He said the advance in Donbas would continue and that the task of creating a security zone along the border was being carried out successfully. “Our goal is to ensure the absolute security of Russia’s border territories in the future,” he said.
Gerasimov: Dobropillia taken, 23 settlements captured
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported that units of the “Center” group had captured Dobropillia, which he called one of the main hubs of Ukrainian defense on the Dnipropetrovsk axis. According to Gerasimov, about 500 square kilometers and 23 settlements in the Donetsk region, including Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka, came under Russian control in September and the first two weeks of October.

Gerasimov also said Russian forces were 5 kilometers from the southern outskirts of the city of Zaporizhzhia, fighting in Orikhiv, had reached the outskirts of Kramatorsk and were advancing in the Sumy region. He claimed strikes had hit energy facilities, nine metallurgical plants, 76 logistics centers and 93 vessels.
The figures announced by the Russian side could not be independently verified.