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Russia close to largest occupation of strategic Ukrainian city since 2023

2025-11-06 17:58:07Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Pokrovsk

Russia has concentrated its fire and troops on the small but strategic town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, moving ever closer to taking control of what is being seen as the gateway to the bloodiest region of the war.

After more than a year of fighting, Pokrovs'k, a railway junction in the Donetsk region, has been reduced to rubble. Of the 60,000 residents who lived there before the war, fewer than 1,300 remain today. Ukrainian soldiers defending the city speak of fierce fighting. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, a third of front-line clashes are taking place there, and half of the air strikes by Russian glide bombs are concentrated precisely in Pokrovs'k.

According to a military map from the DeepState group, which has links to the Ukrainian military, the Russians have taken control of the southwestern part of the city and are expanding into its center and west. “The enemy continues to amass forces in the city,” DeepState said, adding that “Pokrovske is gradually being swallowed up.”

If it falls, it would be the largest city to fall into Russian hands since Bakhmut in May 2023. Pokrovsku is seen as the last obstacle before Russian troops approach Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the last two major Ukrainian-controlled cities in Donetsk, a region that Vladimir Putin has coveted for more than a decade.

Taking Pokrovsk would serve the Kremlin to show that Russia is “on the march” and that the war will worsen if Ukraine does not accept Moscow’s tough demands for a peace deal. Putin has ignored President Trump’s calls for a ceasefire, while his military has continued the offensive.

Zelensky, on the other hand, is trying to defend the city from allowing the Russian narrative to gain ground, especially at a time when he is seeking more support from the unstable Trump administration. He visited troops near the front and presented medals to soldiers, declaring: “In Pokrovsk, we continue to destroy the invader.”

However, Pokrovsk's military significance for Ukraine may be less than symbolic. Russia's advances have come at a tremendous human cost, and Ukrainian commanders believe that the Kremlin's heavy losses will weaken the Russian military as a whole more than Ukrainian defenses.

“It’s incredible how long it took Russia to achieve an objective that was a priority for Putin,” said Laura Cooper, former Pentagon deputy assistant secretary for Russia and Ukraine affairs. “This negates any idea of ??a quick takeover of Donetsk.”

Putin has sought to take all of Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014, when he launched a hybrid war in eastern Ukraine, but even after launching a full-scale invasion in February 2022, he has not achieved his goal. This year's summer offensive to take all of Donetsk ended with minimal gains.

The war has descended into a deadly stalemate, with drones controlling every movement and tanks barely visible. Ukrainian soldiers live in underground shelters or destroyed buildings, while the Russians attack in small groups of two or three.

Ukrainian officials say their forces are outnumbered 8 to 1 by Russian troops in the Pokrovsk area. This shortage of troops has turned the front line into a “chess game,” with Ukraine moving brigades to fill gaps, and the Russians immediately exploiting them.

According to DeepState, if Pokrovsku falls, the neighboring city of Myrnohrad could be completely isolated. “If Pokrovsku falls, we fall too,” said a Ukrainian airborne commander.

Pokrovsku is less than 80 kilometers from Kramatorsk, and a little further north is Sloviansk, which are now under new threat from Russian drones that strike civilians even during ordinary travel. “When you hear the drone, first it buzzes, then it immediately hits you or the car next to you. It’s terrifying,” says Iryna Bondarenko, 24, mother of a 3-year-old.

Meanwhile, the Russians are sending small teams, sometimes with just one or two soldiers, to sneak into Ukrainian lines, taking refuge in forests and brambles. But with the arrival of winter, this tactic will become more difficult, as drones will easily detect them in the bare terrain.

In August, the Russians made a sudden advance near Dobropillia, 13 miles north of Pokrovsk, attempting to create an encirclement. Ukraine responded by sending in its best units, but this weakened the defenses in other towns such as Kupiansk, opening the way for new Russian incursions.

“The scenario of deterioration in Pokrovsk began right after the Russian advance east of Dobropillia,” said Rob Lee, a military analyst who has visited the front line.

Today, the outskirts of Pokrovsk are a scorched wasteland, littered with destroyed vehicles and buildings. Fighting is taking place floor by floor in the ruined buildings. “Our soldiers were on the first floor, the Russians were on the second, and neither knew about the other,” said a Ukrainian commander nicknamed Consul. “It’s pure madness.”

Some military personnel fear that Ukraine could be delayed in withdrawing, as has happened in other battles. “The Russians are losing a lot, but we are losing too and we can’t take it anymore,” said Yevhen, 32, commander of a drone unit.

In this grueling war, every meter of land is being bought with dozens of lives. Pokrovsku may fall, but at a price that neither Russia nor Ukraine can long afford./ New York Times


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