Budanov rejects Russian claim of capture of Dobropillia, accuses Russian general of misleading Putin
On 20 October, the head of Ukraine's Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov, denied that Russian forces had captured the city of Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast and accused the commander of Russia's "Centre" troop grouping, Colonel-General Andrii Ivanaiev, of deliberately misleading Russian President Vladimir Putin. Budanov linked his statement to ongoing "difficult negotiations" aimed at a sustainable peace, as peace talks involving President Volodymyr Zelensky and other leaders were scheduled in Oslo the same day.
Key points
- On 20 October, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov stated that Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast remains under Ukrainian control.
- Budanov accused the commander of Russia's "Centre" troop grouping, Colonel-General Andrii Ivanaiev, of deliberately misleading Russian President Vladimir Putin about the alleged capture.
- According to Budanov, Ivanaiev had already reported to Putin that Dobropillia had been captured and was pressuring subordinates with unrealistic tasks to demonstrate the capture.
- Budanov said Ukraine's Defence Forces continue to hold their positions and that no false statements will change the reality on the ground.
- Budanov framed his statement as taking place during ongoing difficult peace negotiations and called on all sides to act prudently and convey truthful information.
- On 20 October, peace talks involving President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were scheduled in Oslo.
- Budanov published his statements via his Telegram channel and on Facebook.
Why it matters
The statement is an on-the-record rejection by a top Ukrainian official of a Russian military claim with both battlefield and informational implications, and it publicly names and accuses a senior Russian commander of deceiving the Kremlin and intimidating his own subordinates. It was also made against the backdrop of international negotiations on a peace settlement, where competing narratives about territorial control carry direct weight.
What happened
On 20 October, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Office of the President, publicly stated that the city of Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast remains under Ukrainian control, rejecting Russian claims that Russian forces had captured it. In a statement published on his Telegram channel and Facebook, Budanov accused the commander of Russia's "Centre" troop grouping, Colonel-General Andrii Ivanaiev, of deliberately misleading Russian President Vladimir Putin about the alleged capture. According to Budanov, Ivanaiev had already reported to Putin that Dobropillia had been taken and was pressuring subordinates with unrealistic tasks to demonstrate the capture at any cost. Budanov framed the remarks against the backdrop of what he called difficult ongoing peace negotiations, calling on all sides to act prudently, assess the situation realistically, and convey truthful information. He added that Ukraine's Defence Forces continue to hold their positions and that no false statements will change the reality on the ground. The same day, peace talks involving President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were scheduled in Oslo.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All ten supplied sources are Ukrainian outlets and they uniformly centre Budanov's denial of the Russian capture claim and his accusation against Colonel-General Andrii Ivanaiev. They treat Russian claims of taking Dobropillia as deliberate disinformation rather than tactical progress, and they give secondary attention to the Oslo peace talks as the broader context for the statement.
Where reporting differs
Russia's military command claimed that Russian forces had captured Dobropillia, while Budanov, the Ukrainian General Staff, President Zelensky and Ukrainian National Guard brigades all rejected those claims and said the city remains under Ukrainian control. The supplied sources present only the Ukrainian side of this dispute.
Background
In the days before Budanov's statement, Russia's Chief of the General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov claimed Russian forces had captured 92 settlements since early September, including Dobropillia, and that they had approached the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia to within 5 km; Ukraine's General Staff rejected those figures. On 18 October, President Zelensky said Dobropillia remained under Ukrainian control and that Russian forces were about 20 km, not 5 km, from Zaporizhzhia. In early October, a Ukrainian National Guard officer reported that Russian forces were sending small infantry groups into Dobropillia to raise a tricolor and film a staged "capture" video. On 20 October, peace talks involving Zelensky, the Finnish and Norwegian leaders, and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were scheduled in Oslo.