Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Russian forces have captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk in Kharkiv, according to a Kremlin Telegram post on Monday.
Moscow circulated footage it said showed soldiers marching through Pokrovsk’s streets and a Russian flag being raised. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state media that Gerasimov reported the “liberation” to President Vladimir Putin late on Sunday during a visit to a front-line command centre, citing TASS. Putin later congratulated the forces, using the Russian name Krasnoarmeysk and thanking the battlegroup and command, TASS reported.
Once home to roughly 60,000 people, Pokrovsk is a major transportation hub in Donetsk and has been under siege for almost two years. The city has been heavily bombarded in recent weeks by drones, artillery and air strikes, with many buildings reduced to rubble. Ukraine has not confirmed the city’s capture.
Gerasimov’s statement also named Vovchansk in Kharkiv region as seized.
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with US and European leaders this week to discuss how to negotiate an end to the war. He has said a top priority is avoiding territorial concessions that would legitimise Russia’s occupation of parts of Ukraine.