Russia Advances on Bakhmut Amid Fierce Battles for Key Ukrainian City

Russian forces are pushing closer to Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian city in the eastern Donetsk region, as fierce fighting continues around this critical transport hub. The advance puts Ukrainian defenders at risk of being surrounded and could give Russia control of a major logistics center that supports Ukrainian operations across the eastern front.

Ukrainian military channel Deep State reported the Russian advance on Sunday but didn't provide specific details about how much ground was lost. The city sits at a major road junction, making it valuable for moving troops and supplies throughout the region.

Ukrainian Chief of Staff Oleksandr Syrskyi said earlier that operations to push back Russian units approaching the city are ongoing. But the situation appears challenging - several hundred Russian soldiers have already broken through Ukrainian defense lines around Pokrovsk and seized parts of the city center in recent days.

The fighting puts Ukrainian forces in both Pokrovsk and nearby Mirnograd at serious risk of encirclement. These cities are just a few kilometers apart, and Russian forces are trying to cut off escape routes between them. Pokrovsk was once a major coal mining center before the war.

Ukraine has reportedly deployed special forces behind Russian lines to prevent Pokrovsk from falling completely. Russia's Defense Ministry claims it destroyed these special units, though such battlefield claims are often difficult to verify independently.

The battle for Pokrovsk matters because losing it would give Russia control of key supply routes that Ukrainian forces use to support their positions across eastern Ukraine. It would also represent another significant territorial gain for Moscow in its slow but steady advance through the Donetsk region.