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Russia Claims Capture Of Key Donbas City Ahead Of Kremlin Meeting With US Envoy

By RFE/RL December 02, 2025

Russia claimed it had captured a strategic city in Ukraine's Donbas region, an announcement that appeared timed to a critical Kremlin meeting with visiting US officials trying to finalize a peace deal.

Ukrainian officials denied the claim, made by Russia's top military commander to President Vladimir Putin in a video released on December 1.

The Ukrainian military corps fighting in Pokrovsk told Reuters on December 2 that Ukrainian forces were holding the northern part of the city, while carrying out attacks in the south, where Russian troops prevail.

Putin was scheduled to host White House special envoy Steve Witkoff later on December 2, amid a flurry of efforts to find a resolution to end Russia's nearly four-year war on Ukraine.

The meeting -- Witkoff's sixth with Putin since January -- followed the release of a US-drafted peace plan that was seen as heavily favorable to Russia. Ukrainian officials have scrambled, meeting top US officials in Geneva and trying water down Russian hard-line positions.

In the video released by the Kremlin, Russia's top military commander, General Valery Gerasimov, was shown detailing recent battlefield gains by Russian forces. For months now, Ukraine has been struggling to hold back Russian troops, in particular around the cities of Kupyansk, in the north; and Pokrovsk, in the south.

Using the old Russian name for Pokrovsk, Gerasimov asserted that Russian forces had finally taken the city.

"I want to thank you for the results of your work regarding Krasnoarmeysk, both you and the entire command and personnel of the battlegroup," Putin told Gerasimov.

Their meeting reportedly took place on November 30, but the video was released on December 1 -- the eve of Witkoff's visit.

Russia has routinely claimed key battlefield victories in Ukraine, claims that have turned out to be either premature or outright false. Gerasimov recently declared Russia had encircled forces in Kupyansk, something that was untrue.

One of the primary Ukrainian units defending Pokrovsk, the Air Assault Forces' 7th Rapid Response Corps, said Kyiv's troops "continue to hold back" the Russian offensive.

Earlier on December 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meeting in Paris with French leader Emmanuel Macron, acknowledged Russian advances.

"Certainly, Russia is making progress; certainly, Russia is carrying out several offensive actions and operations. None of these operations have been successful," he said at a press conference.

"There are heavy battles going on in Pokrovsk and other areas. For example, our guys are having more success in the Kupyansk area. Although Russia claims to have captured Kupyansk, we've cleared almost everyone out of the city," he said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-pokrovsk- witkoff-kremlin-ukraine/33610717.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.