Pokrovsk battles intensify as Russian push threatens supply routes

Russian and Ukrainian forces are locked in fierce urban fighting in the eastern city of Pokrovsk this week as Russian infantry units have pushed into southern districts and Ukrainian commanders race to dislodge them, officials and independent analysts said. The fighting, punctuated by drone strikes and artillery fire, has put key supply routes at risk and raised concerns that the city could be cut off if current advances continue.

Ukrainian officers and on‑the‑ground sources described small groups of Russian infantry, often operating on foot and using gardens and dense terrain to bypass fortifications, moving through the city’s southern industrial and residential areas. Ukrainian units report close‑quarters encounters and regular drone overflights complicating clearance operations. A Ukrainian operational command spokesman said the situation was difficult and that forces were trying to hold positions while building fortifications.

Russian officials have said their forces have advanced into parts of Pokrovsk and claimed they have destroyed surrounded Ukrainian formations near the railway and industrial zones. President Vladimir Putin asserted that Ukrainian troops were encircled...