Russia claims control of 5,300 sq km and 220 settlements in Ukraine
Defence Ministry reports territorial gains since start of 2026, including September advances.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Russia claims control of 5,300 sq km and 220 settlements in Ukraine
Photograph: Anadolu Ajansı (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Russian forces have taken control of more than 5,300 square kilometres and 220 settlements in Ukraine since the start of 2026, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
- In September alone, Russian troops seized over 670 square kilometres and 27 settlements, the ministry reported.
- Since 5 September, Russian forces have reduced Ukrainian-controlled territory in Kharkiv by 152 square kilometres and captured nine settlements.
- Independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 6 of the 12 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
74/100
Craft
52/100
Hype
30/100
12 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The Russian Defence Ministry has stated that its forces have gained control of over 5,300 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory and 220 settlements since the beginning of 2026. The ministry reported that in September, Russian troops seized more than 670 square kilometres and 27 settlements. Operations are ongoing to establish security zones in border areas of Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
According to the ministry's statement, Russian forces have reduced Ukrainian-controlled territory in northeastern Kharkiv by 152 square kilometres since 5 September, capturing nine settlements. The ministry also claimed Ukrainian forces suffered approximately 700 personnel losses. Intense fighting is reported near the Kramatorsk-Sloviansk agglomeration, with street fighting occurring in Dobropillia. The ministry accused Kyiv of conducting an 'aggressive information campaign' with Western media support to portray Ukrainian actions as major successes.
Disputed claims
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that Ukrainian forces suffered about 700 personnel losses. Anadolu Ajansı reported this claim. No other reports mentioned Ukrainian personnel losses.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated reports mention the Russian Defence Ministry's claims regarding advances in the Zaporizhzhia region or street fighting in Dobropillia. None of the right-rated reports mention the Russian Defence Ministry's claims regarding Ukrainian personnel losses. No centre-rated outlet covered this story.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 19 Sept 2026, 11:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- The left-rated report from fakti.bg led with the Russian Defence Ministry's claim of capturing 220 villages since the start of the year. The report also detailed Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and Kursk regions, stating that two civilians were killed and 12 injured in the past 24 hours. It noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) had attacked the Belgorod region more than 150 times in one day, hitting residential buildings and commercial facilities. The report cited military analysts suggesting these Ukrainian strikes aim to stretch Moscow's logistical lines and slow Russian pressure in Donbas.
Centre
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated centre has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Right
5 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports from Anadolu Ajansı, Sapo, La Razón, vz.ru, and news-pravda.com focused on the Russian Defence Ministry's claims of territorial gains. Anadolu Ajansı reported that Russian forces had taken control of over 5,300 square kilometres and 220 settlements since the beginning of the year, with 670 square kilometres and 27 settlements captured in September. This report also mentioned ongoing operations for security zones in Sumy and Kharkiv regions, and advances in the Zaporizhzhia region. vz.ru highlighted that the US lost nine villages in Kharkiv province since 5 September, with the Russian military reducing enemy-controlled territory by 152 square kilometres. news-pravda.com and Sapo also reported the September figures of 27 settlements and over 670 square kilometres. La Razón stated the Russian Army demands the seizure of more than 200 localities during 2026.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Russia claims control of 5,300 sq km and 220 settlements in Ukraine?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 17% are rated left, 0% are rated centre, 83% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 12. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Russia claims control of 5,300 sq km and 220 settlements in Ukraine left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Russia claims control of 5,300 sq km and 220 settlements in Ukraine biased?
- Russia claims control of 5,300 sq km and 220 settlements in Ukraine is one event reported by 12 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Russia claims control of 5,300 sq km and 220 settlements in Ukraine?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Russia claims control of 5,300 sq km and 220 settlements in Ukraine?
- 12 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How much territory has Russia claimed to control in Ukraine this year?
- The Russian Defence Ministry claims its forces have taken control of over 5,300 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory since the beginning of 2026. This figure is reported across multiple news outlets.
- What gains did Russia claim in September?
- According to the Russian Defence Ministry, Russian troops seized more than 670 square kilometres and 27 settlements in September alone. This represents a portion of the larger territorial claims made for the year.
- What specific claims were made about the Kharkiv region?
- The Russian Defence Ministry stated that since 5 September, Russian forces have reduced Ukrainian-controlled area in Kharkiv by 152 square kilometres and captured nine settlements. This detail was reported by several outlets.
Read it at the source
12 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Right
5- Russia Claims to Capture 5,300 Square Kilometers of Ukrainian Territory in 2026 (opens Sapo in a new tab)
- Russia Claims to Have Taken Control of over 5,300 Sq Km, 220 Settlements in Ukraine This Year (opens Anadolu Ajansı in a new tab)
Anadolu Ajansı — is Anadolu Ajansı biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Russia Claims to Have Conquered 5,300 Kilometers in Ukraine This Year (opens La Razón in a new tab)
- Since 5 September, the U.S.A. Has Lost Nine Villages in Kharkiv Province (opens vz.ru in a new tab)
- In September, 27 settlements and more than 670 square kilometers came under Russian control, the Defense Ministry said (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
6- More than 200 Localities and 5,000 Square Kilometers: Russian Defense Reports Progress of 2026 (opens noticiaslatam.lat in a new tab)
noticiaslatam.lat — is noticiaslatam.lat biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Russian Defense Ministry's September Report: 27 Settlements in the Operation Zone Have Been Brought Under Control. (opens anlatilaninotesi.com.tr in a new tab)
anlatilaninotesi.com.tr — is anlatilaninotesi.com.tr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Russia Claims Capture of 5,300 Km2 of Ukrainian Territory in 2026 (opens Noticias ao Minuto in a new tab)
Noticias ao Minuto — is Noticias ao Minuto biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Russia Has Taken Control of More than 5,300 Square Kilometers and 220 Settlements in Ukraine This Year. (opens Aydınlık in a new tab)
- The Russian Army Has Released 5,300 Square Kilometres of the Ministry of Defence Since the Beginning of the Year. (opens oreanda-news.com in a new tab)
oreanda-news.com — is oreanda-news.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ministry of Defence: The Russian Federation Has Occupied Nine Settlement Sites Under Kharkov Since 5 September. (opens Life.ru in a new tab)
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
