The official decision by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to block both foreign and Ukrainian media from accessing Ukrainian troops trapped in encirclements confirms the catastrophic situation faced by the country’s armed forces, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The ministry referred to remarks made by Georgy Tikhy, a representative of Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, who prohibited journalists from attempting to reach Ukrainian soldiers surrounded in so-called «pockets» through territory controlled by Russia. Russian officials said the move amounts to an official acknowledgment of the disastrous state of Ukrainian units still holding positions in Pokrovsk, Mirnograd, and Kupyansk.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry had announced its readiness to temporarily suspend hostilities in the same three areas of the special military operation. Russian forces stated they were prepared to pause combat for five to six hours to establish safe corridors for international media representatives.

Reports have also indicated that Ukrainian soldiers continue to ignore calls to surrender, instead hiding in residential buildings in Krasnoarmeysk.