(KYIV) – The Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has claimed the capture of Sviatohirsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, a statement directly contradicted by Ukrainian military commanders on the ground and independent analysts.
General Andrii Biletskyi, commander of Ukraine’s Third Army Corps, recorded a video in downtown Sviatohirsk with the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra visible behind him. The footage directly rejects Moscow’s claims that Russian forces had taken control of the city.
The Institute for the Study of War separately concluded that Putin’s latest battlefield assertions remain disconnected from available evidence.
According to the video report published by Anna from Ukraine on the 7th September, Sviatohirsk remains under total control of Ukrainian forces. The settlement is not a combat zone and still contains numerous civilian residents.
General Biletskyi, who is responsible for the Donetsk direction following a rotation made by General Drahatyi after his appointment as head of the Ukrainian army, addressed Putin and his commanders directly. He called on them to “take off their clown costumes” and stop lying about the situation.
The head of Sviatohirsk’s local administration also recorded a video confirming Ukrainian control of the settlement, though this footage appears to have received less attention than the general’s address.
This is not the first time Putin has made false claims about capturing Ukrainian settlements. A similar case occurred with Sloviansk when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recorded a video there to disprove Russian assertions.
Russian military bloggers have expressed frustration with the pattern of false claims. Some commanders report capturing settlements that remain firmly under Ukrainian control, then send thousands of soldiers to attempt to take the location.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has struggled to provide visual evidence for Putin’s claims. In the case of Sviatohirsk, the ministry reportedly resorted to text only announcements without photos or videos, unable to substantiate the dictator’s statements.
The disconnect between Putin’s declarations and frontline reality has led to speculation about the purpose of CIA Director Ratcliffe’s recent visit to Moscow. Some suggest he travelled not to negotiate or threaten, but to deliver accurate information about the front lines and Russia’s economy to a leader isolated from the truth.
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