Russian state media: Ukrainian command fled as Kreidyanka in Kharkiv region taken
In short
Russian state news agencies reported on 5 October 2026 that Kreidyanka, a settlement in the Kharkiv region, had been “liberated”. TASS said the Ukrainian command fled during the operation, while RIA Novosti, publishing three minutes later, said Ukrainian forces offered no resistance. The two reports differ on how the Ukrainian side behaved, and neither account was independently confirmed in the documents available.
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Russian state news agencies reported on 5 October 2026 that Kreidyanka, a settlement in the Kharkiv region, had been “liberated”. TASS, publishing at 05:01 local time, said the Ukrainian command fled during the operation. RIA Novosti, publishing three minutes later at 05:04, said Ukrainian forces offered no resistance. [ 1 , 2 ]
The two accounts differ in their description of the Ukrainian side: TASS emphasised that the command fled, while RIA Novosti emphasised that there was no resistance. Both outlets described the event as a “liberation” and placed it in the Kharkiv region. In the documents available, neither report named the units involved, gave a date for the operation, or reported casualties. Both TASS and RIA Novosti are official Russian state news agencies, and no independent or Ukrainian-side account of the events at Kreidyanka appeared in the documents. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The reports, carried by two tier-one Russian state outlets within minutes of each other, present a Russian advance in the Kharkiv region and an absence of Ukrainian resistance there. Because the documents contain only the two outlets’ own headlines, no independent or Ukrainian-side confirmation of the outcome at Kreidyanka is available to readers.
Key facts
- TASS reported that the Ukrainian command fled during the “liberation” of Kreidyanka in the Kharkiv region. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti reported that Ukrainian forces offered no resistance during the “liberation” of Kreidyanka in the Kharkiv region. [ 2 ]
- Both outlets place the settlement in the Kharkiv region. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The two reports were published three minutes apart, at 05:01 and 05:04 local time on 5 October 2026. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the Ukrainian command fled or Ukrainian forces simply did not resist TASS says the command fled, while RIA Novosti says there was no resistance; the two accounts describe the Ukrainian side’s behaviour differently.
- Casualties, the date of the operation, the units involved and any independent confirmation The documents carry only the two outlets’ headlines, with no article text or further detail.
- The status of Kreidyanka itself after the reported operation Both documents describe a “liberation” but give no information on who now controls the settlement.