Russian forces have cut off supply lines to soldiers trapped in Dmitrov, the outlet reports
Five Ukrainian brigades are virtually encircled in the town of Dmitrov (known as Mirnograd in Ukraine) after Russian forces captured the nearby city of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk), a Ukrainian soldier on the ground told the German outlet Bild.
The Russian army has effectively cut off all supply routes to the 1,000 Ukrainian troops trapped in the city, Bild reported on Tuesday, citing the soldier.
“To be honest, the situation is critical,” the Ukrainian serviceman said, adding that his group is only being supplied through drone deliveries. He added that Russian soldiers have taken control of “almost every single building” between Dmitrov and the parts of Donbass still controlled by the Ukrainian military.
The soldier criticized the actions of his commanders, which he said deployed “many units” to the area but still failed to retain control over supply routes leading to Dmitrov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Kiev was trying to regain control over Krasnoarmeysk to relieve Dmitrov “at any cost” by sending newly formed and inexperienced units virtually to their deaths.
The Krasnoarmeysk-Dmitrov agglomeration together with several smaller towns and settlements forms the second-largest urban cluster still under partial Ukrainian control in Donbass. It has been an arena of intense fighting over the past months that culminated in Russian troops taking control over Krasnoarmeysk on Monday. The Russian Defense Ministry has since published a video of Russian soldiers clearing buildings in the city.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has denied the encirclement of Ukrainian forces in the area and accused Moscow of exaggerating its gains. He also downplayed battlefield losses while appealing to Western backers for more aid.
Back in October, Putin said that over 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen had been surrounded in the Krasnoarmeysk-Dimitrov area, as well as the city of Kupyansk in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region.
