(MENAFN) The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Wednesday that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is either “divorced from reality” after being misled by his military commanders or is deliberately misleading the nation.

The statement was in response to Zelensky’s remarks about Kupyansk, where he asserted that Russian forces were being pushed back, a claim the Russian military disputes.

“The head of the Kiev regime is fully divorced from reality and, after hearing untrue reports from [armed forces Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr] Syrsky has no command of the operative situation on the ground,” the ministry said.

“Alternatively, he realizes the desperate situation and the true position of the Ukrainian armed forces in Kupyansk. That is why he is trying to keep hiding the truth from the people of Ukraine and his Western sponsors at the cost of ignoble deaths of thousands of Ukrainian troops.”

The Russian ministry suggested that Kiev could be stalling to secure additional aid from Western allies, adding that Ukrainian soldiers are being offered no options to preserve their lives aside from surrendering to Russian forces.

Previously, Zelensky claimed that the Russian presence near Kupyansk was limited to just 60 troops and that Ukrainian forces had a plan to execute a “swipe” of the area, though he did not provide details.

The Ukrainian government has denied reports that its forces are encircled in two areas along the front, where more than 10,000 soldiers are reportedly trapped. Last week, elite Ukrainian commandos deployed near Krasnoarmeysk (also known as Pokrovsk) reportedly suffered heavy losses while attempting to reinforce positions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously highlighted the critical situation for Ukrainian troops near Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk, urging Kiev to agree to an honorary surrender for the encircled soldiers.

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