Russia claimed on Monday to have captured the japanese Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, in what could be an necessary victory for its forces if confirmed – although Ukraine dismissed what it stated have been “loud statements” by Moscow aimed toward influencing negotiations on ending the struggle.
The declare by Moscow, which NCS is unable to independently confirm, comes after months of heavy combating for management of the strategic hub. Moscow has sustained hundreds of lifeless and injured in its assault on the city.
It comes shortly after high-level talks between US and Ukrainian officers in Florida on how to finish the struggle, and only a day earlier than US President Donald Trump’s particular envoy Steve Witkoff is predicted to meet Putin within the Russian capital.
Ukraine has indirectly commented on Moscow’s declare, however Andriy Kovalenko, the top of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, cautioned Monday that Russia would make “many attempts to apply pressure on the front line over the next weeks and accompany this with loud statements.”
He stated this was finished “exclusively for the Western audience and to raise diplomatic stakes” amid recent negotiations on how to finish the struggle in Ukraine.
Earlier Monday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that “despite the difficult situation” in Pokrovsk and its surrounding areas, Ukrainian troops “continue to hold back the enemy’s offensive.”
Moscow’s declare comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited frontline troops.
General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, advised Putin throughout a go to to a navy command publish on Sunday that Russia troops had captured Pokrovsk, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated Monday. It’s not clear why the Kremlin didn’t announce the claimed breakthrough earlier.
Video printed by the Kremlin on Monday and geolocated by NCS reveals Russian troopers unfurling a Russian flag in Pokrovsk’s city middle, an space which has been below Moscow’s management for a while, as Russian troopers have superior slowly via the city from the south.
Pokrovsk was lengthy seen as an necessary city for the Ukrainians – as a result of of its street and rail connections – however frequent drone and artillery assaults on the key freeway and rail line pressured Kyiv to discover different provide routes, diminishing the strategic worth of the city.
During Putin’s Sunday go to, the Russian chief thanked commanders and navy personnel for his or her “successful actions,” in accordance to Peskov.
“I would like to thank you for the results of the operations in Pokrovsk – both you, the entire command and personnel of the group, and, of course, the fighters, our guys who are carrying out these combat missions,” Putin stated.
Putin added that success in Pokrovsk would “ensure steady progress” towards all of the goals of the struggle.
NCS’s Ivana Kottasová contributed reporting.