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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that his forces have fully surrounded the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk and now control most of it, while Ukraine's top commander insisted that Kyiv's troops are still holding key positions and pushing back against renewed Russian assaults.
Speaking at a news conference in Kyrgyzstan, Putin claimed that Russian units had tightened their grip on Pokrovsk, which Moscow refers to by its Soviet-era name, Krasnoarmeysk, as well as the nearby town of Myrnohrad, known to Russians as Dimitrov. He said Ukrainian troops in both locations were in "deep trouble" and suggested that parts of Ukraine's front line could collapse if the situation continues.
According to Putin, Russian forces control roughly 70% of Pokrovsk, a former logistics hub of more than 60,000 residents, and have cut off Ukrainian units attempting to defend southern Myrnohrad. He said Russian troops were moving toward the "systematic destruction" of Ukrainian positions inside the two towns.
Russia has been trying to seize Pokrovsk since mid-2024 as part of its broader effort to secure the entire Donbas industrial region. Rather than storm the city directly, Moscow has used a pincer strategy, gradually encircling the area by infiltrating first with small assault groups and later with larger formations. Russian media often describe Pokrovsk as "the gateway to Donetsk," arguing that capturing it would give Moscow an operational route toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, two of the largest remaining cities under Ukrainian control.
Ukraine's military leadership rejected Moscow's version of events. General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops were blocking Russian attempts to mount new offensives in both Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, adding that Russia had been forced to deploy reserve units to maintain pressure. He said Ukrainian forces were conducting raids south of Pokrovsk's train station and that heavy fighting remained concentrated in the city center.
Ukraine's Operational Task Force "East" also reported clashes across multiple districts, saying the battle for the city remained fluid.
Neither Reuters nor independent observers were able to verify competing battlefield claims. Russian military maps depict Pokrovsk as largely under Moscow's control, while Ukrainian maps describe the city as a grey zone with contested territory and Myrnohrad only partially encircled.
