The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said evidence from the battlefield does not tally with Russian claims of advances in north-east Ukraine. In one instance, it cited reports that Russian forces had used AI-altered footage to falsely claim they had seized Bilyi Kolodyaz, a small settlement in Kharkiv Oblast. Footage that circulated online purportedly showing a Russian soldier holding a Russian flag on the outskirts of the area was "likely AI-generated or -altered".
Lying to the Kremlin
In its latest update on the conflict, the US-based think tank said Russian units fighting in Ukraine's north and high military command "are likely lying to the Kremlin about the extent of Russian gains".
The incorrect claims, it said, are being made to push the narrative that Putin's troops are "actively advancing across the entire theatre, including a part of the frontline that has been largely stagnant for nearly two years".
The ISW added: "The Kremlin is using these exaggerated claims of advance as part of its ongoing cognitive warfare effort to falsely portray Russian forces as advancing across the battlefield in order to convince Ukraine's partners to abandon their support."
Ukrainian counter-attacks
The analysts said Ukrainian forces have also disputed several other claims of Russian advances. Ukrainian troops are conducting counter-attacks in some areas of northern Ukraine.
Russian strikes on Kyiv
Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight. At least nine were killed and 30 civilians injured in the capital Kyiv, authorities said.
A major Russian attack two days earlier killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 50 others across Ukraine. The widespread attacks also saw a Russian missile crash into a field in rural eastern Poland. There were no casualties in the incident, which sparked condemnation from Warsaw and NATO.
The strikes suggest Moscow is looking to exploit Kyiv's shortage of Western-supplied anti-ballistic missile defences.
Patriot missile dispute
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pressuring the US and Western leaders to deliver more of the Patriot missiles.
Donald Trump previously said Washington would give Ukraine a licence to manufacture its own Patriot systems but appeared to distance himself from that commitment on Friday.
"We have not agreed to that," the US President said after a cabinet meeting at Camp David. "We're talking about it. But it's a hard thing to give away that kind of technology."
