The Russian army informed President Vladimir Putin that more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been encircled near Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President of Russia Vladimir Putin was briefed on the progress of the Russian army during a visit to the command headquarters, where he was told that more than 10,000 Ukrainian troops had been surrounded in the areas of Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin held a meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and senior military commanders, during which he received a report on the situation along the front line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the direction of Kupyansk, up to 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been encircled, while about 5,500 are surrounded in the direction of Krasnoarmeysk,\u201d said Peskov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Geographical context and the significance of the areas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kupyansk is a city in Ukraine\u2019s Kharkiv region, about 100 kilometers east of Kharkiv. Krasnoarmeysk is located in the Donetsk region, a part of the territory controlled by Ukrainian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russian forces captured the Oskol River crossing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to military reports, Russian troops captured a crossing over the Oskol River, cutting off the movement of Ukrainian forces. It was also reported that the \u201cliberation\u201d of Yampol is nearing completion, while the nearby Volchansk is \u201c70% liberated,\u201d according to the same sources, reports RT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n