Russia said on Saturday that its forces had besieged Ukrainian troops in the Red Army town (known as Pokrovsk in Ukraine), with reports of Ukrainian soldiers beginning to surrender, though the Ukrainian side denied any encirclement or blockade.
Russian Ministry of Defense said in its daily briefing that over the past day, Russian troops surrounded Ukrainian personnel in the town.
The ministry said a Ukrainian special forces helicopter landing near the northwest outskirts of the town was routed, killing all 11 Ukrainian paratroopers involved.
The Ukrainian side disputed this claim later the day.
The Russian ministry also reported that seven assaults from the north and northwest, intended to break through the encirclement, were all repelled.
According to Russian news agency TASS, Ukrainian soldiers trapped in the Red Army town started to surrender.
The local Ukrainska Pravda media outlet cited sources on Friday saying the Russian claim of killing the Ukrainian special forces paratroopers is false, and that the air assault group was then operating in a designated area of Pokrovsk.
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said despite the severe situation, the Pokrovsk–Myronivka urban cluster has not been surrounded or blockaded by Russian forces. Ukrainian troops would continue to hold their positions and carry out comprehensive operations, said the officer.
Russian troops besiege Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk while Ukraine denies encirclement: reports
