Fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian troops in the Pokrovsk sector of Donetsk Oblast is "exceptionally brutal," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Aug. 29.
The Pokrovsk sector has been the scene of heavy battles for several months and a focal point of Russia's offensive in Donetsk Oblast. The town is an important logistical hub for the Ukrainian forces that supports their operations in the region. Pokrovsk had a pre-war population of around 80,000.
The most intense fighting in the Pokrovsk sector is taking place on the eastern outskirts of the village of Hrodivka, along the border of Kamianyi Yar and Krasnyi Yar, and near Mykhailivka, located on the way to Selydove. The battle is also ongoing in the town of Novohrodivka, according to Syrskyi.
"The fighting is exceptionally brutal. The enemy throws everything that can move and advance into the battle, trying to break through the defenses of our troops," the general said after visiting the eastern front.
According to Syrskyi, Ukraine's main goal is to strengthen the defense "in the most difficult areas of the front" and to provide brigades with sufficient amount of ammunition and other equipment.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that Pokrovsk had become Russia's main target after its Kharkiv Oblast offensive failed.
The military administration of Pokrovsk called on residents on Aug. 15 to evacuate immediately, as the Russian army was about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the town's outskirts.
One of the objectives of Kyiv's ongoing Kursk Oblast operation was to divert a significant number of Russian forces from other sectors, primarily from the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions, Syrskyi said.
Moscow has redeployed about 30,000 of its troops from other sectors to the Kursk direction, but keeps its most combat-ready units in the Pokrovsk sector, he added.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
