UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Sep. 11 — The Ministry of Defense of Russia claimed that Russian troops captured the Hoptivka border village in the northern Kharkiv oblast. The 14th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Russian troops are attempting to infiltrate the area and are carrying out assault operations. Still, the village is not under their full control, Vitalii Sarantsev, a spokesperson of the 14th corps, told Gwara Media.

Sarantsev said, regarding a video the Russians had posted a few days before their ministry’s statement. In the video, soldiers were displaying Russian flags in the settlement. According to the spokesperson, the presence of individual groups in a settlement does not mean that they have established control over it.

Sarantsev believes that claims about the alleged capture of settlements are intended primarily for a domestic Russian audience. In this way, the Russian authorities are attempting to create a positive media environment ahead of the State Duma elections.

Also, the Ukrainian border guards said that ahead of the elections in Russia, Russian armed forces “need to show some results,” which is why they became more active north of Kharkiv.

For the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, elections to the State Duma will be held in Russia on Sep. 20.

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