Russia announced that it has taken full control of Kupyansk, a key city in northeastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces recently announced that they had recaptured several neighborhoods from the Russian army, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
“The city is under the control of the 6th Russian Army“, Leonid Sharov, spokesman for the Russian military group “Zapad“, which operates in the area, told TASS.
The declaration comes against the backdrop of yesterday's statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about progress in negotiations with the United States to end the war, as well as European proposals to create a multinational peacekeeping force to guarantee peace in Ukraine.
In November, Russia already announced the capture of Kupyansk, while Kiev claims to have regained control of some neighborhoods.
According to Sharov, Ukrainian soldiers are trying to penetrate the city every day, but "all neighborhoods are now under the control of Russian forces." He added that Russian troops have struck a group of Colombian mercenaries in the area with drones and artillery.
Meanwhile, Zelensky announced on Friday that he had visited Ukrainian units near Kupyansk, with the video being published after reports of the recapture of two nearby settlements and several neighborhoods in the key city.
His visit came shortly after the announcement of a breakthrough by Ukrainian forces in the area of Kupyansk, an important railway junction in the Kharkiv region, according to AFP.