Moscow: President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russian forces have captured the strategically significant Ukrainian cities of Myrnohrad and Huliaipole. At a briefing with the General Staff, Putin said the capture of Myrnohrad in Donetsk and Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia regions represent a significant result in the ongoing "special military operation."

According to Anadolu Agency, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed Russian troops also seized several other settlements over the past two weeks. In the Sumy region, Gerasimov mentioned the capture of Vysoke, while in Kharkiv, the settlements of Vilcha and Prylipka were taken under control. In the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, Russian forces are said to have seized control of 10 settlements, including Stepnohirsk and the city of Huliaipole. Other settlements mentioned as captured in Donetsk include Rodynske and Vilne, while fighting is said to have continued in Kostiantynivka.

The Russian president indicated that his interest in the peaceful withdrawal of Ukrainian forces is now "essentially zero" due to the current pace of the Russian advance. He reiterated that if the authorities in Kyiv do not accept terms for ending the conflict, Moscow will meet its objectives through force. Ukrainian authorities have yet to confirm the loss of Myrnohrad or Huliaipole, though they have reported intense fighting.