Russian claims of ‘successes’ in Kharkiv region are false, Trehubov says

Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Joint Forces Group, said this in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent. “Claims by Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov about Velyka Shapkivka, Palamarivka, control over Kupiansk, or an advance toward Shevchenkove—which is 30 kilometers in a straight line from their actual positions—are either an attempt to mislead their own leadership or to create a backdrop for international negotiations,” Trehubov said. According to Trehubov, the raising of a Russian flag in Kolodiazne may also be part of these information operations. Meanwhile, on the western bank of the Oskil River, Russian forces can barely manage to infiltrate small groups as far as Radkivka, the Joint Forces Group spokesperson said.