Ukrainian General to Putin: Take Off Those Clown Noses

A Ukrainian brigadier general recorded a video address in central Sviatohirsk, near the Sviatohirsk Holy Dormition Monastery, directly challenging Moscow’s account of the city’s status.

“Take off those clown noses and colored wigs. Don’t look like fools,” the general said in an address to Russia’s military and political leadership. He added that Ukraine’s 60th Mechanized Brigade, part of the 3rd Army Corps, fully controlled the city and that it effectively served as a rear area for Ukrainian forces.

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Take off those clown noses and colored wigs. Don’t look like fools.

Vladimir Putin said on September 1 that Russia’s Northern Group of Forces had taken Sviatohirsk, north of Sloviansk. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said the claim did not match reality and was unsupported by evidence.

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Our 60th Mechanized Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps fully controls the city. In fact, it is our rear area.

The report says Russian forces had come no closer than 13 kilometers to Sviatohirsk in late spring and early summer 2024. They were likely even farther away by the time of the report, as Ukrainian counteroffensive operations continued around Lyman, although their full scale remained unclear.

Donetsk’s regional military administration said on August 6 that Ukraine controlled Sviatohirsk. It described the situation as extremely difficult, with the front nearby and Russian forces shelling the city, putting residents and infrastructure under constant threat. Despite the attacks, the administration said the city remained operational and local authorities continued providing essential services as security conditions allowed.

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The situation in the city is very difficult: the front is right nearby, and Russian forces are relentlessly shelling Sviatohirsk, so people and infrastructure are constantly at risk.