Ukrainian commander posts video from central Sviatohirsk, disputing Russian claims of capture
Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, commander of Ukraine's Third Army Corps, recorded a video address on Monday, September 7 from the center of Sviatohirsk in Donetsk Oblast, asserting that the city remains under the full control of Ukraine's 60th Mechanized Brigade and is effectively a Ukrainian rear area. The video, published against the backdrop of the Sviato-Uspenska Sviatohirska Lavra, directly disputes claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Ministry of Defence that Russian forces had captured the city.
Key points
- Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, commander of the Third Army Corps, recorded a video from central Sviatohirsk with the Sviatohirska Lavra in the background.
- The Third Army Corps published the video on Monday, 7 September 2026.
- Biletsky said the 60th Mechanized Brigade of the Third Army Corps fully controls Sviatohirsk and described it as a Ukrainian rear area.
- On 1 September, Putin told a press conference in Bishkek that Russian forces had captured 14 Ukrainian settlements, including Sviatohirsk.
- The Russian Ministry of Defence repeated Putin's claim of capturing Sviatohirsk.
- Ukraine's Third Army Corps and the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration denied the Russian claims, saying Sviatohirsk remains under Ukrainian control despite heavy shelling.
Why it matters
The video is a direct on-the-ground military denial of Russian claims that Sviatohirsk had been captured, and Biletsky's account places the city behind Ukrainian lines, with the 60th Mechanized Brigade in control. The dispute centres on one of 14 settlements Putin said Russian forces had taken since late August.
What happened
On Monday, 7 September 2026, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, commander of Ukraine's Third Army Corps, recorded a video address from the centre of Sviatohirsk in Donetsk Oblast, with the Sviato-Uspenska Sviatohirska Lavra visible in the background. In the address, Biletsky said the 60th Mechanized Brigade of the Third Army Corps fully controls the city and that Sviatohirsk is effectively a Ukrainian rear zone, adding that one can walk around the city without problems, though wearing body armour. He addressed Russia's military and political leadership, urging them to take off their 'clown noses and multicolored wigs' and not look foolish. The video was a direct response to Russian claims that the city had been captured. On 1 September, at a press conference in Bishkek after a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian forces had taken control of 14 Ukrainian settlements, including Sviatohirsk; the Russian Ministry of Defence repeated that claim. Ukraine's Third Army Corps and the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration rejected the Russian assertions, and Biletsky's footage was published as visible proof that the city remained in Ukrainian hands. The Donetsk Oblast Military Administration said the situation in Sviatohirsk was very difficult, with the front nearby and constant Russian shelling threatening people and infrastructure, but said the city was holding and local authorities, including Sviatohirsk City Military Administration head Volodymyr Rybalkin, were continuing to work there.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All six supplied sources are Ukrainian and centre the video Biletsky recorded in Sviatohirsk. The coverage stresses Ukrainian military control of the city, its status as a rear area, the peaceful life visible in the footage, and the explicit denial of Russian capture claims. The reports also note the difficult security situation, with nearby fighting and constant Russian shelling threatening people and infrastructure. On 26 August, President Volodymyr Zelensky had announced two renewed groupings to reinforce Defense Force positions in Donetsk Oblast, commanded by Heroes of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko and Andriy Biletsky.
How international sources describe it
The supplied material does not include separate international framing beyond the cited assessments of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which stated that Putin's claim about Sviatohirsk was extremely far from reality and unsupported by any evidence. ISW analysts noted that in late spring or early summer 2026 Russian forces came within at least 13 km of Sviatohirsk and were likely even farther away by September, given Ukrainian counter-offensive operations near Lyman. DeepState maps also did not show Sviatohirsk as under Russian occupation.
Where reporting differs
Putin and the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that Russian forces had captured Sviatohirsk; Biletsky, the Third Army Corps, and the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration said the city remained under Ukrainian control. Ukrainian sources and analysts also disputed Russian claims concerning Kozacha Lopan in Kharkiv Oblast, and DeepState maps did not show either settlement under Russian occupation.
Background
The Donetsk Oblast Military Administration has described Sviatohirsk as remaining under Ukrainian control despite a difficult situation, nearby fighting, and constant Russian shelling. Sviatohirsk is the site of the Sviato-Uspenska Sviatohirska Lavra, the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra, one of the most important Orthodox Christian monasteries in eastern Ukraine. On 26 August, President Zelensky announced that two renewed groupings would reinforce Defense Force positions in Donetsk Oblast, commanded by Heroes of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko and Andriy Biletsky.