Russia announced on Monday that its troops had advanced into the city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
The key transportation and logistics hub has been targeted by Russian aggression for more than a year.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its troops were destroying Ukrainian structures near Pokrovsk’s railway station and industrial zone. Russian troops have also reportedly entered the Prigorodny area of the city.
On Monday evening the Ukrainian military said Russian troops were not in full control of the city.
“The attackers continue to attack in small groups of up to five soldiers, without using armored vehicles,” the operations task force responsible for Ukraine’s eastern frontline said on Facebook.
Meanwhile Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Response Corps said its “operation to clear Pokrovsk from occupiers” was continuing, and said Ukrainian forces had repelled an attempt to cut off the supply route north from Rodynske.
On Saturday, Kiev announced the deployment of special forces to the eastern city of Pokrovsk, which is under attack by thousands of Russian troops.
Why is Pokrovsk important?
Pokrovsk is an important logistics center with a population of about 60,000 before the war. However, most of the civilians had fled long ago.
If Russia were to capture the city, it could use it as a base from which to advance on the two largest Ukrainian-controlled cities remaining in the Donetsk region: Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Moscow intends to annex the entire Donetsk region, which it claims to occupy. Russia now controls 81% of the region
Capturing Pokrovsk would be Russia’s most significant territorial gain in Ukraine since capturing the ruined town of Avdiivka in early 2024 after one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Russia seized 461 square kilometers (286 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in October, according to an analysis of data by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
That was in line with the average monthly gain this year, less than the increase in July, when Russia annexed 634 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.
Edited by: Zack Crellin