Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russian forces have fully encircled the city of Krasnoarmeysk  (Pokrovsk) and now control 70% of its territory, marking what would be one of Moscow’s most significant advances in the Donetsk region.

Kiev, however, said its forces are fighting back, disputing the extent of Russian gains and insisting that heavy battles are ongoing in the city center.

Krasnoarmeysk, known in Ukraine as Pokrovsk, has been a key objective for Moscow since mid-2024, forming part of a broader campaign to take control of the entire Donbas industrial region. The city, once home to more than 60,000 residents and considered a major logistics hub for Ukrainian military operations, has faced increasing clashes as Russian forces shifted from limited infiltration to a wider encirclement strategy.

Rather than launch a frontal assault, Moscow has relied on a pincer movement aimed at gradually cutting off Ukrainian defensive lines, Reuters reports

Securing "the gateway to Donetsk" would provide a launch point for advances toward the major Ukrainian-held cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk to the north.

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US-sponsored peace amid Russian advance

The clashes come as the United States attempts to broker a peace framework to end what has become the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. Both Kiev and Moscow are pushing to demonstrate battlefield leverage as diplomatic discussions continue.

Speaking at a news conference in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk and in the neighboring town of Dimitrov (Myrnohrad) were facing severe pressure.

“Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov are completely surrounded,” Putin told reporters, adding that some of Ukraine’s most experienced combat units were being destroyed in the process.

“Seventy percent of Krasnoarmeysk’s territory is in the hands of the Russian armed forces,” the Russian president said. 

"In the south of the city of Dimitrov, the enemy group has been cut off," he said, adding that "It is scattered throughout the city and our troops are moving onto its systematic destruction."

Russia’s Defence Ministry also stated on Thursday that its assault units were advancing in central and northern parts of Krasnoarmeysk, while simultaneously pressing forward on the eastern, western, and southern approaches to Dimitrov.

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