The commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, Brig. Gen. Andriy Biletsky, has denied Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russian forces have “captured” the city of Sviatohirsk in the Donetsk region.
Biletsky recorded a video message from the city center, with the Holy Assumption Sviatohirsk Lavra visible in the background. The video was published by the 3rd Army Corps on Monday, Sept. 7.
“I want to appeal to the Russian military and political leadership. Take off your clown noses and colorful wigs. Don’t look like fools. The 60th Mechanized Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps is in full control of the city. This is actually our rear area,” Biletsky said.
Sviatohirsk, which lies north of Sloviansk, is a city in the northern Donetsk region that, before the full-scale war, was known as a major resort in Donbas and an important spiritual center. The city lies on the Siverskyi Donets River in the Kramatorsk district and is surrounded by chalk mountains and dense pine forests within the Sviati Hory National Nature Park.
The front line is close to the city, which is regularly targeted by artillery and guided aerial bombs (KABs). Local authorities have urged residents to evacuate.
On Sept. 1, Putin claimed that Russia’s Northern Group of Forces had captured Sviatohirsk. In late spring and early summer 2026, Russian forces advanced to within 13 kilometers (about 8.1 miles) of Sviatohirsk. However, Ukrainian counteroffensive operations near Lyman have since complicated the situation on the ground, and the full extent of those operations remains unclear.
On Sept. 6, the Donetsk Regional Military Administration (OVA) reported that Sviatohirsk remained under Ukrainian control.
“The situation in the city is very difficult: the front is nearby, the Russians are mercilessly shelling Sviatohirsk, creating a constant threat to people and infrastructure,” the administration said.
“Despite this, the city is holding out, the local authorities continue to work and ensure its vital activity in the conditions that the security situation allows,” it added.
Volodymyr Rybalkin, head of the Sviatohirsk City Military Administration, remains in the city and continues to report on the situation.
On Aug. 26, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk region would be reinforced by two newly formed groups commanded by Heroes of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko and Andriy Biletsky.
The claim over Sviatohirsk was part of a broader pattern of disputed claims from the Russian leadership about alleged territorial gains in Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukraine’s 14th Army Corps said the village of Kozacha Lopan in the Kharkiv region, just 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the Russian border, remained under full Ukrainian control.
The corps said the situation around the village remained tense, with active fighting underway.
According to the corps, Russian forces have suffered significant losses in the area since active operations began, including 178 soldiers killed and another 210 wounded.
Ukrainian forces said they continue to monitor the situation and urged civilians to rely on official sources for battlefield updates.
Ukraine recently rejected a Russian claim that they had captured Pysarivka in the Sumy region, saying the settlement remained under Ukrainian control and fighting continued in the area.
In late August, Russia’s Defense Ministry also claimed that its forces had captured Novokostiantynivka in the Sumy region. Ukraine rejected the claim, with the Kursk Group of Forces accusing Russia of routinely claiming battlefield gains that have not occurred on the ground.
The group added that such announcements are increasingly used for domestic propaganda and to report alleged successes to Russia’s leadership.
In early July, Ukrainian forces denied Putin’s claim that Russian troops had captured Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, saying the city remained under Ukrainian control as fighting continued.