(Reuters) -Ukrainian forces are defending their positions and hunting down sabotage groups in the northeastern city of Kupiansk despite Moscow’s statements that its troops are fully in control of it, Ukraine’s top commander said on Friday.

Russia seized Kupiansk in the first weeks of the 2022 invasion, but Ukrainian troops recaptured it later that year. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week it was back in Moscow’s hands and on Thursday, while visiting Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, he said the city was “fully in our hands.”

Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi rejected the claims.

“Our soldiers continue to conduct both defensive and search and strike actions,” Syrskyi wrote on Telegram after visiting the area in Kharkiv region.

“These actions take place daily as part of compreh

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