Military Correspondent Kotenok Mocked Putin's "encirclements"

• 25.09.2026, 8:15

Somehow, they just "fade away."

Well-known Z-correspondent Yuri Kotenok wrote a scathing post about the lies told by the Russian Federation’s top military and political leadership regarding the situation on the front lines.

He acknowledged that none of the “encirclements” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which dictator Vladimir Putin had publicly announced, actually existed. He published the sensational post on his Telegram channel on September 22, according to Dialog.UA.

He mocked the stories told by Putin, the generals, and Kremlin propaganda about “encirclements.” “Our information officers are turning into chefs. Now in the fifth year of the special military operation, it has become quite popular in media reports to describe the creation of ‘encirclements’ at the front, where enemy units and formations are trapped while ours surround them,” Kotenok wrote.

He noted that, according to official statements, Russia had “pinned down” 11 Ukrainian Armed Forces units near Volchansk, as well as large groupings in the Orekhovo and Dobropillya areas. These are the ones “in the news” as of mid-September 2026. And not a single one of these “pockets” actually exists.
“The main thing here is not to overreach, but it seems that many have developed quite an appetite… There is no real encirclement with a physically closed ring for a number of reasons. The enemy is still strong and capable of counterattacks. Its actions near Liman confirm this… Encirclement pockets somehow deflate; sometimes they burst like bubbles,” wrote the Z-blogger.

He added that Russia will not have an easy victory in this war, and “losses and hardships” lie ahead.