Russian Head Of State Vladimir Putin has actually asserted without proof that Russian pressures have actually taken control of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, both Ukrainian cities where extreme combating has actually been taking place for weeks in the eastern component of the nation.
Putin made the insurance claims the evening prior to his conference with united state Unique Agent Steve Witkoff in Moscow to review a tranquility bargain to finish the battle in Ukraine. The insurance claims show up meant to affect that conference, sending out a message that Russia is progressing and has no demand to endanger.
Yet Ukraine’s army rejected Putin’s insurance claims, and bear up the frontline informed ABC they were incorrect. Putin and Russia’s armed force have actually repetitively wrongly asserted to have actually caught Ukrainian cities too soon.
Ukrainian pressures “remain to keep back” Russia’s advancements in Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian 7th Fast Action Corps of the Air Attack Forces claimed in a Facebook message Monday.
Russia has actually been attempting to take Pokrovsk, a vital protective strongpoint for Ukraine, for greater than a year and a fifty percent at massive price. In the previous month, Russia has actually resembled recording the city, which is ruined, yet Ukrainian soldiers remain to hold locations, and it has actually not completely dropped, according to independent army experts and Ukrainian soldiers on the ground.

Russian Head of state Vladimir Putin checks out a command message of Russia’s joint pressure organizing during an army problem versus Ukraine at an unknown place, December 1, 2025.
Kremlin.ru/ Swimming Pool through Reuters
Vovchansk remains in the Kharkiv area of Ukraine, near the boundary with Russia. Russia has actually additionally been fighting Ukraine there for numerous months, without emphatically recording it.
The Ukrainian Army are holding placements in the southerly component of Vovchansk. The city has actually not been taken, yet it properly no more exists, Head of Communications for the Ukrainian Joint Forces Viktor Tregubov informed ABC Information when inquired about Russia’s insurance claims.

A resident strolls down a road near structures harmed by Russian army strikes in the frontline community of Pokrovsk, Donetsk area, Ukraine, on Might 21, 2025.
Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters
” The Russians are pressing via the damages and to the west of the city. They have actually not had the ability to totally drive our dislodge of its area, yet the majority of the damages are presently under their control,” Tregubov included.
Putin has just recently additionally repetitively asserted the city of Kupiansk has actually dropped. Now Ukraine declares to be near driving Russia from it.
The Russian Ministry of Protection shared a video clip of a soldier opening up a Russian flag in Pokrovsk on their Telegram network on Monday.
Russia has actually repetitively done this in Pokrovsk, yet the city continues to be opposed.