Russia continues attempts at breakthrough near Pokrovsk, brings up reserves, Syrskyi says
Russian forces are continuing attempts to expand their offensive around Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, bringing up reserves and using infiltration tactics, Ukraine's commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 26.
Syrskyi's post on Facebook, published after a work trip to meet top commanders in the area, comes as Russian gains across the front line have slowed significantly over January, amid temperatures across Ukraine that have stayed deep below freezing for weeks.
Despite the brutal conditions, Russia has still continued to push out north of the city of Pokrovsk, making occasional incremental gains according to open-source mapping projects.
Over January, Ukrainian forces have continued to conduct raids and assaults into the lower-density neighborhoods of northern Pokrovsk, making the city still technically contested, over three months after Vladimir Putin declared the city to be surrounded.
According to the general, 400 clashes were reported in the Pokrovsk area alone over the previous week.
"Our key task is to inflict maximum losses on the enemy, destroy its reserves and consistently reduce the offensive potential," Syrskyi wrote, adding that particular focus was being assigned to the expansion and development of Ukraine's drone units.
Consistently the hottest area of the front line over 2025, the industrial city of Pokrovsk held back Russia's offensive operations in Donetsk Oblast for more than a year before being largely overrun in the late fall.
Ukraine's ability to consolidate defensive lines northwest of the city remains under question, with Russian efforts to conquer the remainder of Ukraine-controlled Donetsk Oblast expected to ramp up over spring and summer.
