Ukraine has deployed special forces to Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk region in an effort to hold its ground amid relentless Russian attempts to capture the strategic city.
Commander-in-chief of Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a social media post on Saturday he had given the order for “consolidated groups of special operations forces” to operate in the city. “We are holding Pokrovsk,” Syrski said.
Russia announced on Monday that its troops had advanced in Pokrovsk. Being a key transport and logistics hub, Pokrovsk has been targeted by Russian troops for more than a year.
Last Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia has deployed 170,000 troops in Donetsk, aiming to seize Pokrovsk. Describing the situation in Pokrovsk "difficult", Zelenskiy refuted Russian reports that the city was encircled. There are Russians in Pokrovsk. They are being destroyed, gradually destroyed, because, well, we need to preserve our personnel," Zelenskiy said.
Pokrovsk remains in Ukrainian hands but is under extreme strain, with fighting in the city itself, while Russian forces try to encircle and capture it. The battle here is strategically important because the city serves as a logistics hub in eastern Ukraine.
