US EditionPutin says Russia has taken control of 2 Ukrainian cities. Ukraine denies claims
- On Dec 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Valery Gerasimov reported capturing Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, and Vovchansk, Kharkiv region during a frontline visit.
- Pokrovsk, a strategic road and rail hub, has been heavily bombarded in recent weeks and had around 60,000 inhabitants before the war, while Vovchansk has been devastated by combat since May 2024.
- Ukrainian officials and frontline commanders denied the towns had fallen despite the Russian Ministry of Defense circulating videos and Kremlin-published footage geolocated by CNN showing soldiers raising a Russian flag in Pokrovsk on Monday.
- Strategically, control of these hubs could provide staging areas for further Russian advances, complicating Kyiv's supply lines and risking a nearby Ukrainian army garrison; the Kremlin's announcement ups pressure ahead of U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's meeting with Putin.
- Putin's history of premature capture announcements casts doubt on today's claims as independent ISW analysis shows Russia made its biggest November advance, while Gerasimov informed Putin of 'liberations' on Nov 30, yet observers say the ground remains contested.
133 Articles
133 Articles
On the eve of new talks with the US envoy, the Kremlin claims it finally has the devastated city under its control. Experts are reacting skeptically.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian army assured that the fighting continued in Pokrovsk, a key logistics node for Ukranian forces in the East whose Russia claimed capture the day before, after months of intense attacks. ...
Fighting is still ongoing in the key town of Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian military says, a day after Russia claimed its forces had taken control of the city.
Fighting for this road and rail crossroads has been taking place for many months. In early November, Ukraine had sent reinforcements there and denied any encirclement of its troops in the area.
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