Russian forces have thwarted an attempt by Ukrainian troops to break through the encirclement around Volchansk in the Kharkov Region, Russian security sources told RIA Novosti.

According to the agency’s source, Ukrainian forces attempted to breach the encirclement from the outside using two combat groups with a combined strength of up to a platoon and two armored fighting vehicles.

One Ukrainian armored vehicle was destroyed by Russian drones, while the second struck a mine. The surviving Ukrainian troops dispersed into nearby forest belts and were subsequently eliminated, the source said.

The encirclement in the Kharkov Region was formed in early September, when Russia’s Sever group surrounded around 1,700 Ukrainian troops.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian forces in the area lost more than 265 servicemen over one week, along with nine armored fighting vehicles, six vehicles, five quad bikes and three unmanned ground vehicles.

Vladimir Putin previously said the Volchansk cauldron covers approximately 460 square kilometers and includes 27 settlements. Eliminating the encircled Ukrainian force would allow the front line to be pushed at least 20 kilometers away from the border areas of the Belgorod Region.