Kremlin claims battlefield gains ahead of Witkoff’s visit
REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev/File Photo
Moscow has once again claimed its forces captured Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, and Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast, one day before Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is expected to host U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the U.S.-backed peace plan for Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian propaganda agency RIA Novosti on Dec. 1 that Putin visited a military command post on Nov. 30, where Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov reported the “liberation” of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk. Peskov also said Col. Gen. Andrey Ivanayev informed Putin that Russian units began an operation to “liberate” Hulyaipole in Zaporizhzhya Oblast.
Independent analysts dispute those claims. The DeepState project reports that Russian forces control only part of Pokrovsk, with the rest remains no man’s land. It says most of Vovchansk is still held by Ukrainian forces and that only isolated sections on Hulyaipole’s northeastern outskirts lie in the gray zone. The Institute for the Study of War also found no evidence that Russia has seized Pokrovsk or Vovchansk.
Witkoff is due in Moscow on Dec. 2 to present an updated version of the peace plan after several amendments based on input from Ukraine and EU. Ukrainian and U.S. media say key issues—including possible Ukrainian territorial concessions—remain unresolved, and any Russian advances could become leverage in negotiations.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, wrote on Telegram that the Kremlin’s announcements are aimed at Western audiences and intended to raise the diplomatic stakes. He noted that Ukrainian forces are still present in Vovchansk and that Russia’s claim to have captured nearby Kupyansk is false. “Heavy fighting continues on the front,” he said, “and the enemy is committing significant forces.”
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