(MENAFN) The Russian military says it has prevented an operation by Ukrainian special forces near the encircled town of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in Donbass, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow.

Reports from Western media on Friday indicated that Ukraine had attempted to deploy elite troops using a US-supplied Black Hawk helicopter in the eastern outskirts of Krasnoarmeysk. The landing mission was reportedly overseen by Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov.

In a statement on Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said, “a helicopter landing by a HUR special operations forces group was prevented approximately 1km northwest of the outskirts of the town of Krasnoarmeysk in Russia’s Donetsk People's Republic.” The statement added that all 11 Ukrainian troops who disembarked were “destroyed.”

Russian General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov recently reported to President Vladimir Putin that around 5,500 Ukrainian soldiers are encircled in Krasnoarmeysk, with another 5,000 trapped in Dimitrov (Mirnograd) and Kupyansk.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky described the situation in Krasnoarmeysk as “difficult” but denied any encirclement, accusing Moscow of overstating its battlefield gains. Putin said on Thursday that Russia is willing to pause operations to allow Ukrainian and foreign journalists to observe the front lines firsthand, demonstrating that Ukrainian troops are trapped.

However, Ukrainian authorities barred media access, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhy warning that visiting Krasnoarmeysk, Dimitrov, or Kupyansk would constitute “a violation of our legislation” with potential “long-term reputational and legal consequences.”

The Russian Defense Ministry accused Kiev of misleading its citizens and the international community about its military setbacks, claiming that restricting journalist access effectively confirms the “catastrophic situation” of Ukrainian forces in the encircled towns.

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