MOSCOW

A Kyiv ban on media visits after Russian forces surrounded Ukrainian forces in three cities is evidence of their "catastrophic situation," the Defense Ministry in Moscow claimed on Friday.

Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov described a statement by Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi as an "official recognition" of the dire circumstances.

On Thursday, on the US media company X, Tykhyi called on both foreign and Ukrainian journalists to reject a Russian initiative that would allow them to visit the conflict areas around the cities of Pokrovsk, Dymytrov, and Kupiansk via Russian-controlled territory.

Tykhyi warned that any such visits without Ukraine's permission would violate Ukrainian and international law, adding that they would have "long-term reputational and legal consequences."

This was Ukraine's first public response to the Oct. 29 offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin when he said the Defense Ministry was ready to grant foreign media access to the areas where Ukrainian units are encircled, stating that journalists should "see with their own eyes what was happening there."

The following day, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it received the relevant order and was prepared to pause combat operations for five to six hours to create safe corridors for journalists.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged on Thursday that the situation in Pokrovsk is currently the "most tense" and described the Kupiansk front as "difficult." Despite this, he stated that Ukrainian forces have recently gained "more control of the situation."