Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday that Russian forces have fully encircled the city of Krasnoarmeysk, known in Ukraine as Pokrovsk, and now control 70% of its territory, marking one of Moscow’s most significant gains in the Donetsk region.

Kiev, however, disputed the extent of Russian advances, insisting that Ukrainian forces are fighting back fiercely and that heavy battles continue in the city center.

Krasnoarmeysk has been a key objective for Moscow since mid-2024, forming part of a broader campaign to seize control of the entire Donbas industrial region. Once home to over 60,000 residents and considered a major logistics hub for Ukrainian military operations, the city has seen intensifying clashes as Russian forces shifted from limited infiltration to a broader encirclement strategy. Rather than launching a frontal assault, Russian troops have relied on a pincer movement to gradually cut off Ukrainian defensive lines, Reuters reports.

Securing Krasnoarmeysk, often referred to as “the gateway to Donetsk,” would provide Russian forces with a launch point for potential advances toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk to the north.

Speaking at a news conference in Kyrgyzstan, President Putin claimed Ukrainian forces in both Pokrovsk and the neighboring town of Dimitrov (Myrnohrad) were under heavy pressure. “Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov are completely surrounded,” Putin said, adding that some of Ukraine’s most experienced combat units were being destroyed.

“Seventy percent of Krasnoarmeysk’s territory is in the hands of the Russian armed forces,” he said. He further noted that in southern Dimitrov, Ukrainian units had been cut off and were now “scattered throughout the city,” with Russian troops moving toward their “systematic destruction.”

Russia’s Defence Ministry also stated on Thursday that its assault units were advancing in central and northern parts of Krasnoarmeysk, while simultaneously pressing forward on eastern, western, and southern approaches to Dimitrov.

The clashes come as the United States attempts to broker a peace framework to end what has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, with both Kiev and Moscow seeking to demonstrate battlefield leverage amid ongoing diplomatic efforts. (ILKHA)