Kupyansk Freed, Gerasimov Tells Putin During Visit to Zapad Battlegroup Command Post
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During his visit, the Russian president said all the tasks set at the previous meeting with servicemen had been completed.
Putin listened to detailed reports from commanders of the Zapad and Yug Battlegroups on the situation in the Konstantinovka and Kramatorsk directions of the front, and around Kupyansk, and praised the work of the units' command and personnel.
Russian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed Putin that Kupyansk, a critical rail and road hub in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkov region, has been liberated.
Over 4/5 of the territory of Volchansk, and 70% of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) have also been freed, along with 13 settlements in the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions, Gerasimov said.
Putin stressed that Ukrainian soldiers should have the opportunity to lay down their arms and surrender.
Gerasimov told the president that "many" Ukrainian service members would like to do so. "However, most of them, under threat of execution or destruction by their own drones, are unable to carry out this task. Meanwhile, Ukraine's political leadership has not given its troops any instructions on this matter."
Putin said "it's clear to everyone that these people, sitting on golden pots, are probably not thinking about the fate of their country, of ordinary people, the officer corps and especially ordinary soldiers; they have no time for that."
The president called on the military to avoid setting a specific date on the liberation of Konstaninovka, while reiterating that the goals of the Special Military Operation must be accomplished.
"The forces of the joint group are advancing in virtually all directions, building on successes achieved during the spring-summer campaign," Gerasimov assured.
© Sputnik
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