Russia Claims Capture of Pokrovsk, a Strategicallyโข Important City in Eastern Ukraine
POKROVSK,โค Ukraineโฃ – โค Russian forces have claimed full control of the city of Pokrovsk inโ Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a growth that could threaten a nearby Ukrainian armyโค garrison and โคrepresents Moscow’s largest territorial gain sinceโ Novemberโค 2024. Theโ capture, announced by Russianโค officials, follows weeks of intense fighting and comes as โขRussia intensifies it’sโ offensive in easternโฃ Ukraine.
Pokrovsk, located in the kharkiv โregion, had been devastated by combatโ sinceโฃ May 2024. Its fall is considered aโ notable strategic victory โฃfor Russia, โคpotentially allowing for the encirclement ofโค Ukrainian troops stationed nearby. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov described the captureโข as an “critically important step toward victory.”
The claim of Pokrovsk’s capture aligns withโ recent assessments of russian battlefield gains. An analysis by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of war (ISW) โขindicates that the โrussian armyโ made its biggest advance โin Ukraine last month since November 2024, signaling a renewed pushโ on multiple fronts.
the fighting for Pokrovsk underscores the ongoing challenges faced by Ukraine as it attempts to defend against Russia’s invasion, โnow in its third year.The city’s location โคmakes it a key transportation hub and a strategically important point for โcontrolling access to the wider Donetskโ region, a focal point of the conflict.
