Skip to content
Edit post

Russia has no advance near Pokrovsk over past 2 days, Zelensky claims

by Kateryna Denisova September 2, 2024 7:07 PM 2 min read
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference with the participation of heads of state institutions on Aug.27, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The situation in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast is "difficult," but Russian troops have not advanced over the past two days, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 2, citing Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

The eastern front near Pokrovsk has been the scene of fierce fighting for several months and a focal point of Russia's offensive in Donetsk Oblast. The city is an important logistical hub for Ukrainian forces.

Asked whether it was appropriate to launch the Kursk incursion, Zelensky said that Russia had redeployed a "sufficiently large number" of troops from Zaporizhzhia and Kherson sectors to Kursk Oblast.

As Kyiv's incursion into Kursk Oblast enters its fourth week, Ukraine reportedly controls over 1,290 square kilometers (500 square miles) and 100 settlements, Syrskyi said in late August.

Ukrainian soldiers also have taken over 600 Russian captives, Zelensky said.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

"The Kursk operation is fulfilling its tasks and is going according to plan... We believe that the Kursk operation can also affect the (Pokrovsk) direction, where the pressure may be reduced due to a decrease in the number of Russian troops," the president said at a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.

According to Zelensky, Russia has long concentrated the most combat-ready Russian brigades in the area, as Moscow's main goal is the complete occupation of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

"But so far we see that it is difficult there... In any case, no matter how difficult it is, there has been no advance in the Pokrovsk sector for two days," he added.

Russian troops accelerated their advance towards Pokrovsk over the past week, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Sept. 1.

On Aug. 15, the military administration of Pokrovsk urged residents to evacuate after Russian forces reached about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the town's outskirts.

Responding to a question from the Kyiv Independent, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 27 that the Russian advance on Pokrovsk had slowed in tempo compared to before the Kursk incursion began.

Undistracted by Kursk offensive, Russia cuts deeper toward Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast
As the world watched Ukraine’s stunning cross-border offensive into Kursk Oblast, celebrating an unexpected blow to Moscow, Russian forces advanced with alarming speed in Ukraine’s east. One month later, new front lines in the Russian border region formed in the wake of the Kursk incursion have beg…

News Feed

4:32 PM

Russian drone attack on Kherson Oblast kills 2.

A civilian vehicle with five people inside was targeted with an FPV drone, killing two women aged 72 and 56, as well as injuring a 72-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman, according to the regional prosecutor's office.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.