Newsletters
Ukrainian military officials on Wednesday dismissed Russian assertions that Moscow's forces had surrounded troops defending Pokrovsk, as fighting escalated in the strategically vital eastern city.
The denial came a day after Russia's military command claimed it was "tightening the encirclement around the enemy" in Pokrovsk and reported capturing dozens of buildings within the town limits.
"There is no encirclement of our units and divisions," the Ukrainian General Staff said Wednesday in a social media statement. The military added that "measures are being taken to block the enemy, who is attempting to infiltrate" the city.
Pokrovsk, located in Ukraine's Donetsk region, sits along a critical supply corridor for Ukrainian forces and has been a Russian military objective for more than a year. The city held a prewar population of 60,000 but has been largely abandoned amid relentless combat that has reduced much of it to rubble.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that approximately 300 Russian soldiers were engaged in a fresh offensive to capture the city. On Tuesday, he traveled to the front lines near Pokrovsk, pledging to do "our utmost" to maintain Ukrainian control of the hub.
1 min read
The Ukrainian General Staff released video footage Wednesday showing Zelenskyy with troops "in the Pokrovsk direction," though the military did not indicate when the clip was recorded.
As Russian forces pressed their assault, Ukrainian authorities suspended rail service to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk — the two largest cities in Donetsk region still held by Kyiv, located several dozen miles from Pokrovsk.
Ukrainian forces this past weekend reinforced the city's defenses with special operations units. According to the General Staff, "active resistance to attempts by enemy infantry groups to establish positions is ongoing."
Moscow has captured extensive territory across eastern and southern Ukraine since launching its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022.
1 min read
