Russian forces capture and destroy some Ukrainian positions near Pokrovsk

The Ukrainian army said on Wednesday that Russian forces destroyed or took control of several Ukrainian sites near the city of Pokrovsk in the east of the country, at a time when Moscow controls the strategic logistical center that includes a unique coke mine in Ukraine.

After months of accelerating advance toward Pokrovsk, Russian forces are now within three kilometers of the city’s southern outskirts, according to Ukrainian website DeepState, which maps the front lines using open sources.

Nazar Voloshin, spokesman for the Ukrainian army on the Eastern Front, said in televised comments: “As a result of long clashes, two of our positions were destroyed, and one was lost. Currently, measures are being taken to restore the positions.”

The fall of Pokrovsk, an important logistical center for the Ukrainian army, would be the biggest military setback for Kiev in months. The city also hosts a mine which is Ukraine’s only domestic supplier of coke to the once giant steel industry.

Ukraine Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr SirskyHe said he visited a naval unit in the Pokrovsk sector and noted the conditions soldiers face in the face of “an enemy that is superior, first of all, in terms of manpower.”

“Unconventional decisions must be taken to strengthen the resilience of our defense and ensure more effective destruction of the occupiers,” he wrote on Facebook, without saying when the visit took place.

“The battles are exceptionally fierce. The Russian occupiers are pushing forward all available forces, and are trying to break through the defenses of our forces.”

Months of intense fighting

Pokrovsk is located about 18 kilometers from the border of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, and for several months was the area of ​​the heaviest fighting in Russia’s sweeping 33-month-old invasion of Ukraine.

Analysts said that in October and November, the Russian army advanced towards the city at its fastest pace since the first months of the war. Ukraine says Russia has suffered some of its heaviest losses in the war so far.

Both Ukraine and Russia are eyeing the growing possibility of a push toward peace talks with US President-elect Donald Trump Getting ready to enter the office On January 20, after calling for an immediate ceasefire and a quick end to the war.

Kiev urged its allies to reach the strongest possible position on the battlefield before holding any talks.

Russia, which Ukraine says has more than 70,000 troops on the Pokrovsk front, has advanced rapidly towards Shevchenko, a village south of Pokrovsk, in recent weeks.

Army spokesman Voloshin said that its forces are trying to gain a foothold in the village and are sending reconnaissance and sabotage groups. He added that Ukraine is blocking them at the moment.

The coal mine, which operated until December 6, is located 10 kilometers west of Pokrovsk, on the far side of where Russian forces are advancing.