Kiev’s troops attempted to carry out a helicopter landing near a besieged location in Donbass, the Defense Ministry has said

FILE PHOTO: Russian troops operating in the area of Krasnoarmeysk. © Sputnik / Stanislav Krasilnikov

The Russian military has prevented an attempt by Ukraine to deploy special forces near the encircled town of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in Donbass, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

Western media outlets, including Reuters and The Economist, reported on Friday that Kiev had used a US-supplied Black Hawk helicopter to attempt to deploy elite troops to the eastern part of Krasnoarmeysk.
The landing attempt was reportedly personally coordinated by the chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR), Kirill Budanov.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that “a helicopter landing by a HUR special operations forces group was prevented approximately 1km northwest of the outskirts of the town of Krasnoarmeysk in Russia’s Donetsk People's Republic.”

All 11 elite Ukrainian troops who descended from the helicopter were “destroyed,” it added.

 

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 Kiev trying to hide ‘catastrophe’ of encircled troops – Moscow

Last week, the chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, reported to President Vladimir Putin that some 5,500 Ukrainian servicemen have been encircled in Krasnoarmeysk. Russian forces have also blocked another 5,000 troops in Dimitrov (Mirnograd) and Kupyansk, according to Gerasimov.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky earlier described the situation in Krasnoarmeysk as “difficult,” but denied any encirclement and accused Moscow of exaggerating its gains on the battlefield.

On Thursday, Putin said Moscow was ready to halt its offensive operations and allow Ukrainian and other foreign journalists to travel to the front line and “see with their own eyes” that Ukrainian troops are trapped in the three towns.

Kiev, however, barred media workers from making the trip, with Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhy warning that visiting Krasnoarmeysk, Dimitrov, or Kupyansk would be “a violation of our legislation” that would have “long-term reputational and legal consequences.”

READ MORE: Ukraine urges journalists to reject Russia’s safe passage offer

The Russian Defense Ministry has accused Kiev of lying to the Ukrainian people and the world about its military setbacks. By denying access to reporters, Zelensky’s government effectively acknowledged the “catastrophic situation” faced by its encircled troops, it added.