Russian forces say they have captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub that has been under siege for almost two years.

The Kremlin announced the news in a Telegram post on Monday, citing Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. The post said the eastern Ukrainian city of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region had also been captured by Russian forces.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Gerasimov reported news of the “liberation” to Russian President Vladimir Putin late on Sunday as the leader visited a front-line command centre, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

Pokrovsk is a major transportation hub in the Donetsk region, one of the four regions of eastern Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed.

The city, once home to 60,000 people, has been heavily bombarded in recent weeks by Russian drones, artillery and bombs, with many buildings reduced to rubble.

Ukraine has yet to confirm Russia’s takeover of the city, but Reuters reported that Moscow is circulating a video of soldiers marching through the streets of Pokrovsk and flying a Russian flag.

Putin later congratulated Russian forces on their victory, according to the TASS news agency.

“I want to thank you for the results of your work regarding Krasnoarmeysk, both you and the entire command and personnel of the battlegroup,” Putin said, using the Russian name for Pokrovsk. “Of course, the fighters, our guys, who are carrying out these combat missions,” he said, according to TASS.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with US and European leaders this week to discuss how to negotiate an end to the war.

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He said on Monday that one of his top priorities is to avoid granting Moscow territorial concessions that would legitimise Russia’s occupation of swaths of Ukrainian territory.