Moscow Makes Progress Toward Key Ukrainian City by Seizing Control of 2 Villages
Moscow is potentially executing a pincer movement to encircle and lay siege to the city of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region.
Russian forces are nearing a vital Ukrainian city that, if captured, would enable Moscow to strengthen its control over a significant portion of occupied eastern Ukraine.
These actions indicate Russian forces’ advancement towards the strategically significant city of Pokrovsk, hinting at a possible attempt to surround and besiege the city.
Russian forces have been striving to take over Pokrovsk and the nearby Chasiv Yar for months. Pokrovsk serves as a crucial logistical center for supplying resources to much of the front lines, while Chasiv Yar sits atop a strategic hill.
The capture of either or both cities could empower Russian forces to strengthen their hold on the Donetsk region and potentially pave the way for a major offensive into neighboring Dnipro in central Ukraine.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Ukrainian troops repelled 71 Russian army attacks towards Pokrovsk in a single day, accounting for nearly half of all Russian assaults along the entire front line.
Related Stories
Furthermore, following the capture of Velyka Novosilka, another strategically important town earlier this week, Moscow declared the town’s fall after a prolonged battle.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to pressure Moscow and Kyiv into a ceasefire, likely prompting both parties to pursue riskier maneuvers to secure battlefield advantages ahead of potential negotiations.
Russian forces are engaging in an intense campaign to breach Ukraine’s defenses in Donetsk, an area marked by continuous fighting since 2014.
Back then, Russian-backed paramilitary groups ousted the local government, creating the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which was widely condemned as a Russian puppet state. In 2022, Moscow recognized the DPR and launched an invasion into Ukraine three days later.
If Russia captures Pokrovsk to strengthen its control over Donetsk, Kyiv may face international pressure to formally relinquish the territory in a negotiated settlement.
As part of these efforts, Russia seized the Donetsk cities of Avdiivka and Vuhledar last year following intense battles that left these cities heavily damaged by Russian artillery and airstrikes before their capture.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
