Moscow: Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed President Vladimir Putin this evening, Thursday, of the liberation of the city of Kobyansk in the Kharkiv region.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Gerasimov told the President during his visit to a command post of the Zapad Group: “Forces of the Zapad (West) military group have liberated the city of Kobyansk and are continuing to destroy the Ukrainian formations besieged on the left bank of the Oskol River.”

In response to a clarifying question from President Putin: “So, is it all over? Completely finished?” the commander answered in the affirmative.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces confirmed that the formations and units of the Joint Forces Group of Russia will continue to carry out the tasks of liberating the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Gerasimov said, “The formations and units of the Joint Forces Group will continue to carry out the tasks of liberating the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions according to the approved plan.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude to the commander of the Zapad Group, Sergei Kozovlev, and all members of the Zapad Group for the results of their work.

The President said, “All the tasks assigned to you have been accomplished. I thank you for this work. You, all members of the group, all the commanders, thank you, comrades, for the results.”