Zelensky visits Azov troops fighting near Pokrovsk
President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with Ukrainian soldiers from the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov," Zelensky wrote on X on Nov. 4.
Zelensky visited a command post of the 1st Corps, which is conducting a defensive operation in Dobropillia sector together with adjacent units.
"I heard reports from the military; we discussed the situation on the frontline and the most urgent needs. Much attention was given to weapons, scaling up drone production, needs of brigades," Zelensky wrote.
He thanked the soldiers for their service and presented them with state awards.
"I am grateful to the warriors for defending Ukraine and our territorial integrity. This is our country, this is our East, and we will certainly do our utmost to keep it Ukrainian," Zelensky said.
Dobropillia is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the long-embattled Pokrovsk, which used to be a key Ukrainian logistics hub. Russian troops have already entered the city and are trying to close in further to force a Ukrainian withdrawal.
Ukrainian forces liberated two villages in eastern Donetsk Oblast about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of embattled Pokrovsk, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Oct. 26.
The General Staff's report came nearly three months after Russian forces made a sudden 10-kilometer (6-mile) push in just days toward the key highway connecting Kramatorsk and Dobropillia in early August. Since the rapid Russian advance in the area, Ukrainian forces have taken back nine villages, and nine more have been cleared of Russian sabotage groups, the General Staff said in its Facebook post.
Francis Farrell
