# Putin announced battlefield encirclements the evidence does not show, while Russia’s real offensive accelerates elsewhere

https://mins.news/en/item/46144

- Meduza, 2026-09-04 23:45 UTC
- World
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/09/05/putin-announced-battlefield-encirclements-that-the-evidence-doesn-t-show-but-russia-s-real-offensive-is-accelerating-elsewhere

> Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukrainian units were encircled in two areas of the Kharkiv region and that Russian forces had captured Sviatohirsk, but documented evidence does not support those assertions. The analysis argues that, despite Putin’s overly optimistic account, Russia’s offensive did accelerate in late summer and again put Ukrainian defenses under pressure on several important axes.

## Related coverage

- [Russian forces tighten encirclement of Ukrainian troops in Volchansk — defense source](https://mins.news/en/item/45224) — TASS, 2026-09-04