Pokrovsk has been one of the hotspots of the war in Ukraine in recent months. Over the weekend, there have been media reports that the city has fallen to Russian forces.

Suur, commander of the Division Headquarters, stressed that the city has not fallen. "These claims are somewhat exaggerated and premature," the colonel told "Ukraina stuudio."

"Ukrainian units operating east of Pokrovsk are still holding their positions. It is true that the situation there is dynamic and changing rapidly, and it must also be admitted that the details differ significantly between sources. But over the past week, the Russians have attempted to attack from the northeast and east with relatively modest results. Ukrainian forces have launched counterattacks there," he outlined.

Suur said that some of the best Russian army units in the region are operating in Pokrovsk and have made limited gains, occupying panel apartment buildings and high-rises that allow for better control of the surrounding area.

"However, supply routes are still usable for Ukraine, and considering how large a force Ukraine has committed there, the decision on when to withdraw still lies with them," the colonel said.

He could not disclose whether the Ukrainian special forces operation that began a few weeks ago is still ongoing. "One of the keys to using special forces is the cloak of secrecy. We tend to hear about these things only afterward," he said.

Raag: It's still unclear whether the corruption reaches Zelenskyy

Last week, a major corruption scandal erupted in Ukraine, leading to the resignations of the country's justice minister and energy minister.

The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) accused Zelenskyy's close ally Tymur Mindich of organizing a $100 million corruption scheme involving embezzlement in the energy sector.

Security expert and Ukraine advisor Ilmar Raag said it is still not known whether the roots of the corruption case reach Zelenskyy.

"In all such matters, many things remain unresolved because they simply cannot be proven. Everyone may even say, yes, we know this is how it is, but we have no evidence to present," Raag said.

The host pointed out that individuals at the center of the scandal are close to Zelenskyy.

"Yes, but they all also run their own business in their own corners," Raag replied. "One can imagine that since the government or presidential administration has so many things to manage, they simply cannot physically oversee everything all at once. Everyone is running something in their own sphere or sector, so we cannot automatically assume anything."

Raag also said it is unknown whether the ministers who resigned were directly involved in the corruption or merely took responsibility. He noted that the public has never viewed the president's administration as entirely clean.

"It was not clean even before the war. At that time, most suspicion was directed at the head of the presidential administration, Andriy Yermak. For example, there were interviews circulating in which it was claimed Yermak had taken bribes in exchange for helping people get jobs in the administration, which are high-paying positions. In that case, the allegations were tied solely to Yermak, not to Zelenskyy himself. How much of a role Zelenskyy had in this—well, we should not jump to conclusions," Raag said.

He said the scandal damages Zelenskyy's credibility in the eyes of the public.

"In this situation, political accountability becomes important. Zelenskyy knows there is absolutely no way he can come out of this unscathed. Someone has to pay the price, and for now, it's those two ministers. We will see what happens next," said Raag.

The host asked whether the situation is so dire that if presidential elections were held in Ukraine now, Zelenskyy would not even bother putting his name forward because the scandal has tarnished him.

Raag said Zelenskyy's standing has already been such that he would likely lose in a presidential election to former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi. "So even before this scandal, he did not have a kind of absolute saintly image."

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