Russia's Defense Ministry and the "North" group of forces claimed to have captured the settlements of Vasylivka, Dovzhankove, Blahodatne, and Slizneve in the Kharkiv region, as well as the "closing of the Volchansk cauldron" — the alleged encirclement of Ukrainian troops. According to RBC-Ukraine, Ukraine's 16th Army Corps categorically denied these reports, calling them inconsistent with reality and part of a deliberate media campaign.
The "Volchansk Cauldron": What Moscow Is Claiming
According to reports from the Russian ministry, several settlements in the area of responsibility of the 16th Army Corps were allegedly brought under control, after which the enemy "closed the ring" around Ukrainian formations. This rhetoric about "cauldrons" and encirclements has in recent months become one of the persistent elements of Russian military propaganda on the Kharkiv and Sumy axes.
The Position of the 16th Army Corps
The Ukrainian side states that over the past six months no loss of positions has been allowed in the defensive sector of the 16th Army Corps. Moreover, according to the corps, the defenders not only stopped attempts to advance but also restored their positions in the area of the settlements of Mylove and Odradne. The operational situation is described as controlled: attempts by the enemy to infiltrate deep into the defense in small infantry groups, according to Ukrainian military personnel, are detected in a timely manner and suppressed by fire, and over the past week enemy units in the corps' area of responsibility have suffered significant losses.
A Media Campaign Against the Backdrop of Internal Problems
The 16th Army Corps notes that Russia is massively generating media "victories" against the backdrop of an energy crisis, fires at oil refineries, and on the eve of the State Duma elections. In the assessment of Ukrainian military personnel, the aim of such reports is to push unfavorable-for-Moscow topics out of the information space and to divert attention from a possible mobilization. Thus, the claims about "cauldrons" are viewed not as a reflection of the combat reality, but as a tool of information pressure.
Contradictory Data
Here the versions of the two sides diverge fundamentally. Russia's Defense Ministry and the "North" group report the capture of Vasylivka, Dovzhankove, Blahodatne, and Slizneve and the "closing of the Volchansk cauldron." Ukraine's 16th Army Corps denies these assertions, stating that there have been no losses of positions over six months and that control over the area of Mylove and Odradne has been restored. Independent verification of the actual control over specific settlements under conditions of active combat operations and mutual information-psychological operations is currently difficult, so both versions remain in open contradiction with each other.
The Sumy Axis and the Actions of the "Khartiia" Brigade
In parallel, the Defense Forces denied the claims of Russian propagandists about the alleged capture of the villages of Velykyi Prykol and Sadky in the Sumy region: according to Ukrainian data, these settlements are under the full control of the AFU, and the situation on the Sumy axis remains controlled. On another section of the front, near Kupyansk, fighters of the "Khartiia" brigade repelled enemy attacks and, according to reports, cleared an area of about four square kilometers of territory from the invaders, continuing to hold the occupied lines.
Thus, on the eastern and northern front lines, Ukrainian military personnel, by their own statements, continue to hold off attacks and repel attempts to advance deep into the territory, while the enemy, alongside combat operations, is stepping up disinformation campaigns about "captures" and "encirclements," which, in the assessment of Kyiv, are not confirmed by the actual operational situation.
