Russia controls half of embattled Pokrovsk city in eastern Donetsk region, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said Monday.
"Russians have not fully achieved their objective. They control roughly half of the city. However, the enemy cannot freely enter Pokrovsk, because all approaches to it are under the control of our drones," Syrskyi told local Channel 24. In his words, apart from significant volume of forces and assets, drone brigades and regiments are helping to hold the defence in the city, preventing Russians from advancing.
Furthermore, Syrskyi rejected calls for full withdrawal from Pokrvosk, saying this move would be “unreasonable”.
“The question is: where should we withdraw to? Into open fields, and then keep retreating, looking for the next city or settlements, which the enemy will also level to the ground? Such an agglomeration is very difficult to destroy," the top commander explained.
Being an important logistic and transport hub, the city of Pokrovsk is dubbed by the Russian media as a “gateway to Donetsk” due to its strategic geographical location. Russia has repeatedly claimed capturing the city, with the Defence Ministry releasing video footage of Russians troops moving freely in the outskirts of south of Pokrovsk in early December. Both sides attempt to gain or maintain control over supply routes and surrounding settlements, which increases pressure on the city even when direct fighting inside it is limited. As a result, Pokrovsk remains a contested and vulnerable location, symbolizing the broader strain and uncertainty faced by frontline cities in the region.
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