Putin says Russia has taken control of 2 Ukrainian cities. Ukraine denies claims

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed without evidence that Russian forces have taken control of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, both Ukrainian cities where intense fighting has been happening for weeks in the eastern part of the country.
Putin made the claims the night before his meeting with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow to discuss a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. The claims appear intended to influence that meeting, sending a message that Russia is advancing and has no need to compromise.
But Ukraine’s military denied Putin’s claims, and soldiers on the frontline told ABC they were false. Putin and Russia’s military have repeatedly falsely claimed to have captured Ukrainian cities prematurely.
Ukrainian forces “continue to hold back” Russia’s advances in Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces said in a Facebook post Monday.
Russia has been trying to seize Pokrovsk, an important defensive strongpoint for Ukraine, for more than a year and a half at enormous cost. In the past month, Russia has come close to capturing the city, which is devastated, but Ukrainian troops continue to hold areas, and it has not fully fallen, according to independent military analysts and Ukrainian troops on the ground.
Vovchansk is in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, close to the border with Russia. Russia has also been battling Ukraine there for many months, without decisively capturing it.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding positions in the southern part of Vovchansk. The city has not been taken, but it effectively no longer exists, Head of Communications for the Ukrainian Joint Forces Viktor Tregubov told ABC News when asked about Russia’s claims.
“The Russians are pushing through the ruins and to the west of the city. They have not been able to completely drive our forces out of its territory, but most of the ruins are currently under their control," Tregubov added.
Putin has recently also repeatedly claimed the city of Kupiansk has fallen. But now Ukraine claims to be close to driving Russia out of it.
The Russian Ministry of Defense shared a video of a soldier unfurling a Russian flag in Pokrovsk on their Telegram channel on Monday.
Russia has repeatedly done this in Pokrovsk, but the city remains contested.