On September 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin proudly announced that his troops had captured the Ukrainian city of Sviatohirsk. Less than a week later, Putin’s claim came back to haunt him when Ukrainian commander Andriy Biletsky posted a video address recorded in the center of Sviatohirsk demonstrating that the city was still very much under Ukrainian control. “I would like to appeal to Russia’s military and political leadership. Take off your clown noses and stop making fools of yourselves,” Biletsky commented as he strolled through a rather calm and tranquil-looking Sviatohirsk.
Biletsky’s recent video was not the first time Putin has been humiliated in this manner after being caught lying about Russian advances. The most notorious incident occurred in December 2025, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally traveled to Kupyansk in eastern Ukraine and recorded a selfie video mocking Putin after the Kremlin dictator had repeatedly and falsely boasted of capturing the Ukrainian city. “The Russians seem to have had a lot to say about Kupyansk,” Zelenskyy quipped. “The reality speaks for itself.”
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