Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, has announced that Moscow’s forces are pushing forward along the entire front line in Ukraine. He stated that Russian units are actively targeting Ukrainian troops allegedly surrounded in the strategic town of Myrnohrad. His comments came during a command post meeting with officers of the Centre Grouping, which is currently operating in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russian Forces Push Deeper Into Myrnohrad
Gerasimov said that President Vladimir Putin has ordered the complete defeat of Ukrainian forces in Myrnohrad. The town, once home to around 46,000 people, lies east of Pokrovsk and has become a focal point in recent battles. According to Gerasimov, Russian troops have taken control of more than 30% of Myrnohrad’s buildings, marking what he described as steady progress.
Russia continues to use Soviet-era names for some Ukrainian cities and refers to Pokrovsk as Krasnoarmeysk. Moscow claims its forces have already seized the entire city and have encircled Ukrainian troops in Myrnohrad, which Russia calls Dimitrov. These claims, however, remain heavily disputed.
Ukraine Denies Russian Claims and Holds Defensive Lines
Ukraine firmly rejects Russia’s statements about Pokrovsk’s fall. Ukrainian officials insist that their forces still hold parts of the city and are actively resisting Russian operations in Myrnohrad. They argue that Russia’s reported progress reflects modest territorial gains achieved at a high human and material cost.
Currently, Russia controls about 19.2% of Ukrainian territory. This includes Crimea, annexed in 2014, the Luhansk region, over 80% of Donetsk, around 75% of both Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and smaller portions of Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk. Despite this, Kyiv maintains that its defenses remain solid, and its troops continue to challenge Russian attempts to expand further.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said that Moscow would take full control of the Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian forces withdraw. Kyiv has flatly rejected this demand and vows to continue defending all occupied territories.
