The Russian president has visited command posts on the line of contact, according to the Kremlin<\/p>\n
The Russian army has taken control of\u00a0several key frontline cities, including Krasnoarmeysk in Russia’s Donbass (Pokrovsk, in Ukrainian) and Volchansk in Kharkov Region, the chief of Russia\u2019s General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has told President Vladimir Putin.
\nAccording to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin was briefed on the situation during a visit to a command post on November 30.
\nPutin was also informed that the operation to liberate Gulyaypole in Zaporozhye region has begun, with street fighting already underway. The president \u201cgave new directives to provide the troops with everything necessary for combat operations during the coming winter,\u201d Peskov added.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
What Kiev hopes you won\u2019t notice: The hidden anatomy of Russia\u2019s push forward on all fronts<\/p>\n
According to the Kremlin, Russian forces have also encircled the Ukrainian army in the Krasnoarmeysk-Dimitrov agglomeration, with Dimitrov now controlled by Moscow.
\nKupyansk, a key logistical hub near the Oskol River, has also been a prime objective since it secures Russian positions in the region and enables further movement westward. Earlier in November, Gerasimov said the city is now under full control of the Russian forces.
\nKiev has rejected reports of the encirclement and dismissed Moscow\u2019s statements as inflated. \u201cKupyansk is under the control of Ukraine\u2019s defense forces,\u201d the Ukrainian General Staff has said, while also denying any major setbacks in Volchansk and Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk).
\nVladimir Zelensky has downplayed battlefield losses while appealing to Western backers for more aid. Ukrainian troops are also facing desertions and a lack of reinforcements, with growing public resistance to mobilization and reports of soldiers accusing Kiev of forcing them to hold indefensible positions. Zelensky\u2019s standing has been further weakened by a major corruption scandal in Ukraine\u2019s energy sector, involving alleged kickbacks worth around\u202f$100\u202fmillion and prompting the ouster of his justice and energy ministers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Russian president has visited command posts on the line of contact, according to the Kremlin The Russian army has taken control of\u00a0several key frontline cities, including Krasnoarmeysk in Russia’s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t