Zelensky says Ukraine retook more territory than Russia captured this fall

Ukrainian forces have recaptured more territory than Russian forces have seized this fall, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an Oct. 18 post on social media. Zelensky stated in his evening video message that Ukrainian troops are destroying Russian attempts to launch assaults in Dobropillia, a city in the Donetsk region, while defending their positions in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. He added that the "front is strong" and that the "trend this year continues," with Ukrainian warriors liberating more territory since the start of fall than Russians have captured. Under ‘Operation Vivaldi,’ Ukrainian forces have made advances in occupied areas of Donetsk Oblast. The Third Army Corps unveiled on Oct. 14 that it had retaken another 101 square kilometers in the Lyman sector. In total, Operation Vivaldi saw the liberation of 16 settlements and 277 square kilometers to Ukraine, according to corps commander Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi. Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War reported on Oct. 17 that Russian forces have lost an average of seven kilometers daily in October 2026, contrary to claims of Russian advances.