From the "Institute for the Study of War" (ISW) commented that Russian sources claim without evidence that Russian forces have surrounded 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers northeast of the city of Kharkiv.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) stated on September 3 that elements of the Russian Northern Group of Forces (NGF) had captured Vasilevka, Blagodatne, and Dovzhanka (all northeast of the city of Kharkiv).
The Russian Northern Group of Forces further stated on September 3 that they had captured Slizneve (northeast of the city of Kharkiv).
The Ukrainian 16th Army Corps dismissed the Russian claims as a desire to divert public attention from domestic problems. From there, they recalled the gasoline crisis in Russia, the Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and warehouses, and the upcoming State Duma elections.
Russian high-ranking officials, including President Vladimir Putin and the Ministry of Defense, have been constantly making exaggerated claims, part of a systematic effort in cognitive warfare.
Putin recently stated that Russia's Western army had surrounded 13 Ukrainian battalions totaling about 5,000 troops on the eastern shore of the Oskil reservoir near Pisky-Radkivsky (south of Borova and about 16 kilometers from the front line) on September 2.
Russian forces attempted to assassinate the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Oleksandr Poklad, with a strike using a "Geran" drone. On September 4, they struck the SBU headquarters in Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Poklad was the target.
Sergiy "Lightning" Beskrestnov, the Ukrainian president's adviser on defense technology, said that Russian forces likely maintained contact with the drone through a device that a Russian agent activated within a five-kilometer radius of the SBU headquarters during the strike.
Russian forces similarly attempted to kill Beskrestnov on April 20, 2026.
He said that Russian forces are prioritizing the production of "Geran-4" drones, which can reach speeds of up to 550 kilometers per hour - significantly faster than the "Geran-3" drones. This complicates Ukrainian efforts to intercept.
The Kremlin's behavior shows Russia's unwillingness to guarantee the safety of the US delegation during their upcoming visit to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on September 4 that US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and former senior adviser to the US President Jared Kushner would visit Ukraine on September 6 after visiting Russia.
This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Witkoff and Kushner had confirmed the possibility of visiting Ukraine.
TASS confirmed the upcoming visits of the US delegation to Russia and Ukraine.
According to sources close to the administration of US President Donald Trump, Witkoff and Kushner have concerns about their safety during their trip to Ukraine.
Ukraine has suspended its long-range strikes on the Moscow region during the visit CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Moscow City on August 26.
Putin has so far given no indication that Russia will stop its strikes against Ukraine during the visit of Witkoff and Kushner to Ukraine.
Putin's apparent unwillingness to guarantee the safety of the American delegation in Ukraine demonstrates the Kremlin's unwillingness to accept the United States as a mediator in peace talks. It also underscores attempts to force them to negotiate only with Russia, ISW concludes.