Putin claims Russian capture of Pokrovsk, Vovchansk; Kyiv denies
Editor's Note: This is a developing story.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Dec. 1 that Russian troops had captured the Ukrainian cities of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk.
The chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, Valery Gerasimov, issued a front-line report to Putin on Nov. 30, alleging that Russia had gained full control of both Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast and Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast.
Putin then announced Russia's capture of the cities in an address published to the Russian Presidential Office website on Dec. 1.
The same evening, Russia's Defense Ministry published a video of soldiers from the "Center" military unit holding up a Russian flag in the center of town, surrounded by buildings destroyed by shelling.
On Dec. 2, Ukrainian officials refuted Russia's claims of having taken Pokrovsk, Vovchansk or Kupiansk. The General Staff wrote on Telegram that "This is just another attempt by the Kremlin to use the videotaped 'flag op' for propaganda purposes to influence participants in international negotiations."
"In Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, the defense forces are holding the northern part of the city along the railway line," the General Staff continued, reporting that Ukrainian forces have killed 106 Russian soldiers over the preceding 24 hours.
The General Staff wrote in an earlier post the same morning that over the past day "on the Pokrovsk front our defenders have stopped 72 assault actions of the aggressor."
Putin's claim comes as an American delegation led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow for further negotiations on a plan to end the war in Ukraine. The plan, originally developed by Witkoff in close collaboration with the Kremlin, has been revised after talks with Ukrainian and European leaders to better reflect Kyiv's position.
These alleged territorial gains, announced just in time for the U.S. delegation's visit, would represent key victories for the Kremlin, which has sustained severe losses in its year-long attempt to seize Pokrovsk.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, warned that Moscow would escalate propaganda claims during peace negotiations.
"Over the next few weeks, the Russians will make many attempts to exert pressure on the front line and accompany this with loud statements — all of this is done exclusively for Western audiences and to raise the stakes in diplomacy," Kovalenko said on Dec. 1.
Kovalenko also claimed that "part of Vovchansk is under the control of Ukrainian Defense Forces," though he did not say anything about Pokrovsk.
The fortress city of Pokrovsk has long been one of the most hotly contested areas of the front line, with Ukrainian troops holding off a major Russian assault for a year. In recent weeks, Russian troops have closed in, leaving Ukraine in control of an increasingly smaller pocket of the town.
Vovchansk in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv Oblast has also suffered intense destruction throughout Russia's full-scale war. The city endured a Russian occupation until it was liberated in the 2022 autumn Ukrainian counter-offensive, then later saw heavy fighting again after Russia began a new push in May 2024.
