A serviceman of the National Police Special Purpose Battalion walks near Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on November 20. Reuters

Russia claimed on Monday to have captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, after months of heavy fighting for control of the strategic hub, in what would be a major win for Moscow if true.

The claim comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited frontline troops, thanking them for the “results of the operations” in Pokrovsk. Moscow has sustained thousands of dead and injured in its assault on the city .

Ukraine has not directly commented on Moscow’s claim, but Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, cautioned Monday that Russia would make “many attempts to apply pressure on the front line

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