KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Wednesday that Russian troops have encircled Ukrainian forces in two strategic eastern cities: Pokrovsk and Kupiansk. However, Ukrainian military officials quickly dismissed these assertions as falsehoods.
During a meeting with wounded soldiers in a Moscow military hospital, Putin suggested that the Russian military is prepared to open safe corridors for Ukrainian and Western journalists to observe the situation firsthand. He insisted that Ukrainian troops were surrounded in both Pokrovsk, which is a pivotal stronghold in the eastern Donetsk region, and Kupiansk, a crucial rail junction located in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
In the context of ongoing conflict, Russia has recently been leveraging its significant advantage in manpower and weaponry along the approximately 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, nearly four years after its initial invasion of Ukraine. Despite Putin’s claims, the Ukrainian armed forces firmly rejected assertions regarding Kupiansk’s encirclement, labeling them as "fabrications and fantasies." Hryhorii Shapoval, a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern forces, described the situation in Pokrovsk as "difficult but under control."
The Ukrainian Army's 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, responsible for defending Pokrovsk, stated that Russia had deployed about 11,000 troops in an effort to encircle the city. They acknowledged that some Russian units managed to infiltrate parts of Pokrovsk in a recent social media update. Historically, Russian officials have made numerous claims about capturing Ukrainian strongholds that later proved to be untrue, and independent verification of these latest claims remains unattainable.
Putin's statements seem to align with his diplomatic maneuvers aimed at persuading the United States that support for Ukraine is futile, as he argues that Ukraine cannot withstand Russia’s military superiority. He has emphasized Russia's allegedly "improving nuclear capability" and has shown no willingness to alter his objectives in the ongoing conflict.
In his remarks, Putin indicated an openness to negotiate a deal for the surrender of Ukrainian troops in the two contested cities. He suggested that allowing media access to these areas would enable coverage of the conditions faced by encircled Ukrainian forces, thereby prompting Ukraine's political leadership to make decisions regarding their fate.
Reports indicate that small contingents of Russian soldiers are engaged in house-to-house combat in both Kupiansk and Pokrovsk, while artillery and drone strikes target logistical routes. The Ukrainian military is increasingly relying on drone technology to support its troops effectively.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, reported late Tuesday that while Russian forces had made advances around the Pokrovsk area, they "almost certainly do not currently control any positions within the city of Pokrovsk itself." The think tank further assessed that these developments are unlikely to lead to an immediate collapse of Ukrainian forces in the Pokrovsk direction.
Regarding Kupiansk, Viktor Trehubov, the spokesman for Ukraine's Joint Forces Task Force, declared that Putin's allegations do not reflect the on-ground reality. “To put it simply, there is no encirclement,” Trehubov asserted in an interview with The Associated Press.
Attempts by Russian forces to capture Pokrovsk have been ongoing for over a year. Ukraine ceased utilizing the city as a logistical hub at the end of the previous year as the pressure mounted from Russian advances. Prior to the conflict, Pokrovsk was home to approximately 60,000 residents and is now largely in ruins.
Simultaneously, Ukraine has continued its long-range drone and missile strikes against Russian rear areas, targeting oil refineries and manufacturing facilities in an attempt to disrupt logistics. Russia's Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses shot down 100 Ukrainian drones across five regions overnight, prompting flight suspensions at 13 airports, including three in the Moscow area.
As the conflict persists, Russia has intensified its campaign against Ukraine's power grid and civilian infrastructure across at least six regions, resulting in injuries to at least 13 individuals, including a 9-year-old child. Additionally, the Ukrainian air force asserted that Russia launched 126 strike and decoy drones during the night.
