Russia announced on Monday that its forces had seized the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, a claim presented by the Kremlin just one day before President Vladimir Putin’s planned meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Kremlin said Putin was briefed during a Sunday visit to a command post, where Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported the “liberation” of Krasnoarmeysk and Volchansk, Moscow’s names for Pokrovsk and Vovchansk. Ukraine has not confirmed the loss of either city, and the timing of Russia’s announcement appears aimed at shaping perceptions ahead of diplomatic talks.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), however, emphasised in its latest assessment that Russia’s battlefield victory is “neither imminent nor inevitable.” According to ISW, the Kremlin is pushing a false narrative suggesting Ukraine’s defensive lines and political stability are near collapse. ISW argues that this information campaign is intended to pressure Western states into accepting concessions Moscow has been unable to achieve militarily.
Witkoff is set to discuss a revised 28-point “peace” plan that originally included Ukrainian territorial concessions, limits on its armed forces, and the abandonment of NATO membership. Negotiators from Ukraine and Europe have reportedly worked to make the plan less one-sided, though the final terms remain undisclosed.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Third Army Corps rejected Russia’s assertion that its troops had captured two villages near Lyman on Nov. 21, calling the claim “another information manipulation.” The Corps said Russian units are reporting “fictional achievements” to satisfy commanders, echoing ISW’s assessment of coordinated messaging meant to inflate Russia’s momentum.
Related story (external site): https://cepa.org/article/pokrovsk-where-putin-shattered-his-teeth/