The commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, Brig. Gen. Andriy Biletsky, has denied Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russian forces have “captured” the city of Sviatohirsk in the Donetsk region.Biletsky recorded a video message from the city center, with the Holy Assumption Sviatohirsk Lavra visible in the background. The video was published by the 3rd Army Corps on Monday, Sept. 7.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
“I want to appeal to the Russian military and political leadership. Take off your clown noses and colorful wigs. Don’t look like fools. The 60th Mechanized Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps is in full control of the city. This is actually our rear area,” Biletsky said.Sviatohirsk, which lies north of Sloviansk, is a city in the northern Donetsk region that, before the full-scale war, was known as a major resort in Donbas and an important spiritual center. The city lies on the Siverskyi Donets River in the Kramatorsk district and is surrounded by chalk mountains and dense pine forests within the Sviati Hory National Nature Park.The front line is close to the city, which is regularly targeted by artillery and guided aerial bombs (KABs). Local authorities have urged residents to evacuate.On Sept. 1, Putin claimed that Russia’s Northern Group of Forces had captured Sviatohirsk. In late spring and early summer 2026, Russian forces advanced to within 13 kilometers (about 8.1 miles) of Sviatohirsk. However, Ukrainian counteroffensive operations near Lyman have since complicated the situation on the ground, and the full extent of those operations remains unclear.
