The Russian Defense Ministry claimed a day earlier that its forces had captured Novokostiantynivka in the Sumy region, but Ukraine has rejected the claim, saying the settlement remains under Ukrainian control.
Ukraine’s Kursk Group of Forces said in an official Facebook statement that the Russian claim “does not correspond to reality.”
The group confirmed that, as of Tuesday, Aug. 25, Novokostiantynivka remains under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, while fighting with Russian troops continues in the area.
Ukrainian forces are carrying out combat missions along this section of the front, the statement said.
The Kursk Group of Forces also accused Russia of routinely claiming territorial gains that have not occurred on the ground, saying such announcements are increasingly being used for domestic propaganda and to report alleged battlefield successes to Russia’s leadership.
“The Russian command has long and regularly ascribed to itself results that are not on the ground,” the statement said.
The Ukrainian military urged civilians to rely on official reports from Ukraine’s General Staff for updates on the battlefield and disregard Russian propaganda.
“The situation in the sector is under control, the units are carrying out combat missions,” the statement said, adding that further information would be provided if the situation changes.
Previously, in early July, Ukraine denied Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russian forces captured Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s Eastern Group of Forces said Kostiantynivka remained under Ukrainian control, with fighting continuing in parts of the city as Russian troops attempted to infiltrate. Ukrainian forces were also targeting Russian troop concentrations and logistics routes around the settlement.
Ukrainian General Staff spokesperson Major Andrii Kovaliov separately said that Ukraine’s military systems confirmed the city remained under Ukrainian control, with Ukrainian units conducting defensive operations in and around Kostiantynivka.
Putin made the capture claim on July 3 during a visit to a Russian command post, where he also claimed Russian forces had taken all of Luhansk Oblast and were making advances in Donetsk Oblast. He said Russia would continue attacks on Ukraine’s military-industrial infrastructure and expand a so-called “security zone” in the Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.