The colonel outlines key events in the Ukraine war last week on Sunday's "Ukraina stuudio," which are taking place as talks to end the war take place. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also visited the frontline near the town of Pokrovsk, which Russia has been trying to seize for over a year.

Märk said that the Russians actively use information warfare, and they are constantly lying about their progress. This is necessary to secure a stronger position in peace negotiations, he added.

"Information operations and domination in the cognitive domain are aimed at influencing the West and the United States. The goal is to create a false narrative that Ukraine's front is on the verge of collapse. The message is that the West has no reason to keep supporting Ukraine, and instead should push it to accept Russia's peace terms. Russia is very skilled at shaping narratives. Both Ukraine and the West must invest significant resources in strategic communications to avoid falling into the trap of that narrative," he said.

"They have indeed claimed that Kupiansk, Siversk, and Pokrovsk are under their control. That is a sector where combat has been more intense, and in Kupiansk, the Ukrainian side is represented by the Second Khartia Corps. Over the past two months, they have carried out counteroffensives and stabilized the situation in that sector. Kupiansk itself is largely under Khartia's control, with only certain areas in the northeast held by elements of the Russian Federation's forces," Märk said.

The colonel said Russia has focused its main effort on the Pokrovsk direction, where, according to the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a force of up to 150,000 troops has been concentrated.

"It is clear that this is a key area of effort for the Russian Federation, which is why they lack the personnel strength to reinforce multiple front-line sectors or to open new ones," Märk said.

He said that on December 11, President Vladimir Putin held a televised conference with his military commanders reported that the town of Siversk had been taken.

Märk said this is not true: "In Siversk, Ukraine's 11th Corps is fighting, and their reports contradict that claim. Fighting is ongoing across the entire Siversk and Lyman sector, and neither side has full control."

The colonel said that changes are happening constantly and that both sides are conducting local counterattacks. "A positive sign is that Ukrainian forces are capable of conducting local counterattacks. Kupiansk is a prime example of this, where the city has been recaptured and the sector stabilized," he added.

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