Jun. 29 — On Jun. 28, during a meeting with Russian journalists, Vladimir Putin, Russian President, said that the Ukrainian forces were “almost surrounded” in the area of the Stary Oskol river. The Ukrainian Joint Forces Task Force denied this claim.

Putin was likely referring to the Oskil river, which flows through the Kharkiv region and, in part, through Russia. The Ukrainian military noted that Stary Oskol that Putin mentions is a city in the Belgorod oblast of Russia, located more than 100 kilometers (~62 miles) from the border with Ukraine.

Ukrainian military officials said that, as of now, Ukrainian soldiers are “simply working to advance” toward Stary Oskol.

“We’re sure that the Russian leader is more aware of his troops’ combat readiness than we are, so we consider (this claim) to be his announcement for the battles for Stary Oskol,” they added.

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