Bangladesh, Sept. 25 -- Inside the corridors of the UN, language has long eclipsed action. So when President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last week that Ukrainian forces have liberated approximately 360 km² in the past month and surrounded 1,000 Russian soldiers for possible prisoner exchanges, one should take note.

These figures, as a matter of fact, are not earth-shattering in scale compared with the 1,548 km² Russia claimed in its summer drive — but they are revealing of how Kyiv now fashions its narrative.

One may recall that Oleksandr Syrskyi (Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) had earlier reported about 164.5 km² “liberated” and around 180.8 km² cleared in the Dobropillia/Pokro...