The Russian president on Dec. 1 said his forces had captured the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. In addition to the key military logistics hub, Vladimir Putin also announced the “liberation” of Vovchansk in the northeast. The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, Valery Gerasimov, also confimed the report as Putin inspected a military command post. The Kremlin said in a statement that this inspection took place on Nov. 30, but didn’t specify the location. n18oc_crux | n18oc_world