According to Russian satellite news agency reports, on October 16 local time, Russian President Putin stated that the Russian army had surrounded and eliminated a Ukrainian military group of about 2,000 people in the northeastern part of Kharkov. This achievement is 'unusual'. Ukraine has not responded to this yet, but the Ukrainian military had previously claimed that there was no siege zone.
On the 16th, Putin held a meeting at an auxiliary command post of a Russian joint force group. Russian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gerasimov reported the situation. According to reports, Gerasimov stated that the enemy troops encircled in northeastern Kharkov region have been completely eliminated. The Russian side said that about 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers were involved, and their control area included 28 settlements.
Putin said at the meeting: "In combat operations, encircling enemies in various areas is not something new; however, encircling a force of about 2000 people over an area of 460 square kilometers is truly extraordinary. Moreover, eliminating the enemy within that area is a remarkable achievement."
According to RT, the Russian side stated that their troops have thwarted all attempts by enemy forces to break through the siege or escape from the area. They have also captured surrendering individuals and destroyed any remaining forces that refused to lay down their weapons. As a result, the entire region and towns are now completely under Russian control.
Putin also said at the meeting that since early 2026, the Russian army has taken control of 310 settlements and approximately 6500 square kilometers of territory. He noted that the Luhansk region has been fully under Russian control; currently, more than 10% of the Donetsk region and 16.5% of the Zaporizhia region are still under Ukrainian control.
He said, “It is necessary to continue conducting large-scale and clustered attacks on the enemy’s military industrial complexes and logistics centers.” He demanded that commanders of various military units strictly follow the special military operation concepts in carrying out their tasks.
Glasimov also noted that the Northern Army continues to expand the security belt along the border between Sumegovo and Kharkivovo regions, and the assault forces are moving towards Sume city.
