STORY: Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a military command post on Sunday (November 30) and heard reports from top commanders of the capture of the towns of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Monday (December 1).

The Rossiya-24 news channel aired footage late on Monday night showing Putin being greeted by the Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military's General Staff at a joint forces command post.

The Russian president was then briefed by Gerasimov and other top commanders. Gerasimov informed Putin that Russian forces had captured the towns of Pokrovsk (called Krasnoarmeysk in Russian) in (the Donetsk region) and Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, as well as the results of other military offensive actions of in other sectors.

Ukrainian officials have made no acknowledgement that either town has fallen into Russian hands.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN AT A JOINT RUSSIAN FORCES COMMAND POST FOR OPERATIONS IN UKRAINE / CHIEF OF RUSSIA'S GENERAL STAFF VALERY GERASIMOV REPORTING TO PUTIN THAT RUSSIAN FORCES FULLY CONTROL UKRAINIAN TOWNS OF POKROVSK IN DONETSK REGION AND VOVCHANSK IN KHARKIV REGION

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: CAPTIONS AT SOURCE, BLURRED AT SOURCE

SHOWS: UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) (RU24 – No use Russia)

1. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN BEING GREETED BY CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF VALERY GERASIMOV

2. PUTIN AND GERASIMOV ENTERING ROOM, BEING GREETED BY GENERAL STAFF OFFICER

2. PUTIN SITTING DOWN, STARTING SPEAKING

3. VARIOUS OF PUTIN LOOKING AT DOCUMENTS AND SPEAKING

4. PUTIN LISTENING TO GERASIMOV

5.(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) CHIEF OF RUSSIA'S GENERAL STAFF VALERY GERASIMOV, SAYING:

“The force grouping “North” has finished today the liberation of a city of Vovchansk. Moreover, as part of the creation of a security zone in the border areas of Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions (oblasts), three more settlements in this territory came under our control in November: Sinelnykove, Tsigelne, and Dvorychatske”.

7. PUTIN SPEAKING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) CHIEF OF RUSSIA'S GENERAL STAFF VALERY GERASIMOV, SAYING:

“The forces grouping "Centre" liberated the city of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk in Ukrainian) and continue to destroy enemy units in Dimitrov. Moreover, some of the group's forces are successfully advancing in the Dnipropetrovsk region.”

10. GERASIMOV SPEAKING

11.PUTIN SPEAKING