Russia says its forces seized Pokrovsk and Vovchansk

Russia says its forces seized Pokrovsk and Vovchansk
Russian President Vladimir Putin December 1, 2025.
Reuters

Russian commanders informed President Vladimir Putin that their forces have seized the frontline Ukrainian towns of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Ukraine has not confirmed the fall of either location. Kyiv’s military reported 43 Russian attacks in the Pokrovsk sector on Monday.

According to an audio briefing posted by Kremlin pool reporters, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov told Putin during a visit to a military command post that Russian troops had captured Pokrovsk — known in Russian as Krasnoarmeysk — after months of heavy fighting in Donetsk region.

Peskov said Gerasimov also reported the capture of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, a town near the Russian border that has seen intense battles for months.

Another commander, Valery Solodchuk, told Putin that Russian forces were conducting “clean-up operations” around Pokrovsk and the nearby town of Myrnohrad. A third commander, Andrei Ivanev, briefed him on Russian advances in southern Zaporizhzhia region, including what he described as the initial phase of an operation to take the city of Huliaipole.

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