Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a Ukrainian army grouping of around 5,000 troops is surrounded near the settlement of Rubtsy in the Donetsk People’s Republic. According to him, the force is expected to be defeated and destroyed in the near future.

Putin said Russian units are pressing Ukrainian forces from several directions at once. The 1st Tank Army is advancing from the north, the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division from the east, and the 144th Division from the south.

In an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin, the Russian leader said the area is under fire control, while roughly two kilometers remain before the encirclement is fully closed. He added that the 144th Division is working to complete that task.

Putin also said Russian troops had reached the settlement of Dobropolye. He stressed that they had broken through a well-prepared three-layer Ukrainian engineering defense line that had been considered impregnable.

The Russian president added that Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups, if they manage to enter territory controlled by Russian forces, are quickly detected and eliminated.

Commenting on statements by European politicians about the alleged success of Ukrainian forces on the front line, Putin responded with irony, saying that if Ukraine was supposedly taking more and more territory, Western leaders should simply wait for Kiev’s victory and for Russia’s strategic defeat to come about on its own.

In the same interview, Putin said Russia is seeking the final liberation of Donbass and Novorossiya.