Russian Military Misleads Kremlin, Public on Ukraine Advances

The Russian military command is misleading the Kremlin and the public about the scale of its advances in northern Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The military is exaggerating its successes to bolster the narrative of active Russian military advancement along the entire front line and to convince Ukraine's partners to withdraw their support. ISW reports that available data on combat operations does not confirm Russia's claims of advances in the northern parts of Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Instead, Ukrainian troops are conducting successful counterattacks and holding back Russian advances.