Russia claims to have captured the Ukrainian towns of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk

Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov told President Putin during his visit to a military headquarters on Sunday that Russian troops had captured Pokrovsk (known in Russian as Krasnoarmeysk) after months of fighting. He added that advancing Russian forces had also entered the town of Lyman, north of Pokrovsk.

"This is an important direction. We all understand its importance," Mr. Putin said. "It will ensure the implementation of the tasks that we set at the beginning of the special military operation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Kremlin

Mr Putin added that Russian forces "are confidently holding the initiative and continue to carry out the tasks of the operation. Russian forces are advancing in almost all directions".

Mr Putin said one of the immediate tasks was to create a "security zone" along the Russian border to protect settlements from a Ukrainian attack.

Zelensky threw his conscripts into the 'SLAUGHTER' at Krasnoarmeysk — Putin

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'A tragedy for the Ukrainian people' https://t.co/AynAl9sEd4 pic.twitter.com/BOQTRwh785
— RT (@RT_com) December 1, 2025

Video of the exchange between Mr. Putin and Russian military commanders

Mr Gerasimov told Mr Putin that Russian forces were determined to continue to hold the entire Donbas – an industrial region that includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Ukrainian officials have not acknowledged that any place has fallen to Russia. However, video posted on the Russian Defense Ministry ’s Telegram channel showed Russian troops marching through a town identified as Pokrovsk, with ruined buildings and deserted streets. One group raised the Russian flag in a square.

Moment Pokrovsk became Krasnoarmeysk.

As I was saying... https://t.co/FNnFgueU7s pic.twitter.com/M5sKdoutuB
— Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) December 1, 2025

Video of Russian troops in the town of Pokrovsk

Meanwhile, the town of Vovchansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, near the Russian border, has long been engulfed in fierce fighting. News agencies reported that Defense Minister Andrei Belousov congratulated the military on capturing the town, calling it a step toward future successes in the region and elsewhere.

Valery Solodchuk, commander of the Central group of forces, told Mr Putin that Russian troops were carrying out operations to push back Ukrainian forces around Pokrovsk and the nearby town of Myrnohrad.

A third commander, Andrei Ivanaev, reported to Mr. Putin on Russian advances south in the Zaporizhzhia region and said forces had entered the town of Huliaipole on Sunday and were engaged in street battles.

Ukraine's General Staff said earlier on Monday that Russian forces had carried out 43 attacks on its positions in the area around Pokrovsk.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has reported that its forces have held positions around Pokrovsk and even gained an advantage in a northern town.

The announcements came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks in Paris, and ahead of a visit by US special envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia to seek a solution to the more than three-and-a-half-year war.

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