Speaking from a Moscow military hospital, President Putin claimed that Ukrainian forces are currently encircled in Pokrovsk, a major stronghold in the Donetsk region, and Kupiansk, an important railway hub in the northeastern Kharkiv region
Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted on Wednesday that Russian forces have successfully surrounded Ukrainian troops in two strategically vital eastern cities and offered terms for their surrender. However, Ukrainian military officials have firmly rejected the claims, insisting their defences remain intact.
Speaking from a Moscow military hospital,
President Putin claimed that Ukrainian forces are currently encircled in Pokrovsk, a major stronghold in the Donetsk region, and Kupiansk, an important railway hub in the northeastern Kharkiv region. He suggested Russia would open safe corridors for Western journalists to confirm the situation on the ground, potentially pressuring Kyiv’s political leadership to accept a deal for their troops’ surrender.
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Kyiv defiance and controlled situation
The Ukrainian military immediately pushed back against the Russian narrative.
Officials dismissed the claim that Kupiansk is surrounded as “fabrications and fantasies.” Meanwhile, a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern forces stated that while the situation in Pokrovsk is “hard,” it remains “under control.”
Ukrainian forces acknowledged that Russia has deployed approximately 11,000 troops in a bid to encircle Pokrovsk, with some enemy units managing to infiltrate the city