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Putin announced battlefield encirclements that the evidence doesn’t show, but Russia’s real offensive is accelerating elsewhere
Meduza • • world
Key Points:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Ukrainian troops were encircled near Vovchansk in Kharkiv region and that Sviatohirsk had been captured, though these claims conflict with on-the-ground evidence and reports from Russian military sources.
- Russian advances have been made around Kupiansk and along the eastern bank of the Oskil River, but no large-scale encirclements have been completed, and Ukrainian forces maintain significant bridgeheads and counterattack capabilities.
- In the Donetsk region, Russian forces have intensified their offensive from Dobropillia to Druzhkivka, capturing several settlements and putting Ukrainian defenses in crisis, potentially setting the stage for a major battle over the Kramatorsk–Sloviansk urban area.
- Ukrainian forces made a breakthrough near the junction of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions but were met with strong Russian counterattacks, leading to a stalemate and ongoing clashes around key supply routes to Orikhiv.
- Russian troops have advanced into Novodanylivka and Mala Tokmachka near Orikhiv, cutting critical roads and threatening Ukrainian positions, marking significant territorial changes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
