Russia claims to have captured key city of Pokrovsk, as Ukraine dismisses Moscow’s ‘loud statements’ ahead of Witkoff talks

Ukrainian servicemen fire a howitzer toward Russian troops near Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Nov. 23. (Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters via CNN Newsource)

Russia claimed on Monday to have captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, in what would be an important victory for its forces if confirmed – though Ukraine dismissed what it said were “loud statements” by Moscow aimed at influencing negotiations on ending the war.

The claim by Moscow, which CNN is unable to independently verify, comes after months of heavy fighting for control of the strategic hub. Moscow has sustained thousands of dead and injured in its assault on the city.

It comes shortly after high-level talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Florida on how to end the war, and just a day before U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Putin in the Russian capital.

Ukraine has not directly commented on Moscow’s claim, but Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, cautioned Monday that Russia would make “many attempts to apply pressure on the front line over the next weeks and accompany this with loud statements.”

He said this was done “exclusively for the Western audience and to raise diplomatic stakes” amid fresh negotiations on how to end the war in Ukraine.

Earlier Monday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that “despite the difficult situation” in Pokrovsk and its surrounding areas, Ukrainian troops “continue to hold back the enemy’s offensive.”

Moscow’s claim comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited frontline troops.

General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, told Putin during a visit to a military command post on Sunday that Russia troops had captured Pokrovsk, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday. It’s not clear why the Kremlin did not announce the claimed breakthrough earlier.

Video published by the Kremlin on Monday and geolocated by CNN shows Russian soldiers unfurling a Russian flag in Pokrovsk’s city center, an area which has been under Moscow’s control for some time, as Russian soldiers have advanced slowly through the city from the south.

Pokrovsk was long seen as an important city for the Ukrainians – because of its road and rail connections – but frequent drone and artillery attacks on the key highway and rail line forced Kyiv to find alternative supply routes, diminishing the strategic value of the city.

During Putin’s Sunday visit, the Russian leader thanked commanders and military personnel for their “successful actions,” according to Peskov.

“I would like to thank you for the results of the operations in Pokrovsk – both you, the entire command and personnel of the group, and, of course, the fighters, our guys who are carrying out these combat missions,” Putin said.

Putin added that success in Pokrovsk would “ensure steady progress” toward all the objectives of the war.

CNN’s Ivana Kottasová contributed reporting.

By Billy Stockwell, Darya Tarasova and Victoria Butenko, CNN