Ukraine, Moscow: ‘Ukrainian army in Pokrovsk has begun to surrender’

Rome, 1 Nov. (LaPresse) – The Russian Defence Ministry has stated that the Ukrainian army, surrounded in Pokrovsk, has begun to surrender and has provided evidence of soldiers taken prisoner. The news was reported by Tass. Russia and Ukraine have provided conflicting accounts of what is happening in the stronghold of Donetsk, which is key for Kiev. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Russian forces had surrounded the Ukrainians. But the spokesman for the eastern Ukrainian forces, Hryhorii Shapoval, later told the Associated Press that the situation in Pokrovsk was ‘difficult but under control.’ Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that some Russian units had infiltrated the city, but insisted that Ukraine was eliminating them.