VLADIMIR Putin has claimed his troops have captured the key fortress city of Pokrovsk from Ukraine ahead of crunch peace negotiations.
Russian fighters were pictured brandishing a flag in the eastern Ukrainian city despite Kyiv dismissing the claims that the frontline region has fallen.
Ukrainian officials say the noise around Pokrovsk is simply made up of “loud statements” being peddled by a desperate Moscow.
They claim it is the latest Kremlin ploy to try and demand more land in a peace deal which is being brokered by the US.
The fierce battle over Pokrovsk has been ongoing for more than 18 months.
Putin’s army has ramped up pressure to seize the city in recent weeks to clinch a “symbolic” victory before the winter.
The tyrant has reportedly thrown around 200,000 troops into his stalling meatgrinder to take over the key warzone.
His relentless thirst for territory has come at a huge cost however, with a valiant Ukrainian army taking out at least 135,000 Russian soldiers in battle, intelligence suggests.
This is a breaking news story. Refresh to read more as it comes in…
