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Russia intensifies attacks near Pokrovsk, seeks to encircle Ukrainian forces

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Russia intensifies attacks near Pokrovsk, seeks to encircle Ukrainian forces
People walk down an empty street in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Dec. 26, 2024. (Yevhenii Vasyliev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Russian forces have intensified their assaults near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, deploying small groups in an attempt to encircle Ukrainian troops, Victor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces, said on Jan. 27 on national television.

"For the first time, they started to fight smart; for the first time, they started to fight not just with direct human waves, but with attempts to cover, with attempts to bypass a large city and force Ukrainian forces to leave it," Trehubov said.

The area near Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub for Ukrainian forces, has been at the center of heavy fighting for months.

"The situation is as follows: there is a large number of small-scale clashes near Pokrovsk because Russians are trying to enter and surround Pokrovsk from the west in small groups. There are many, many clashes there," Trehubov said.

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The estimated Russian advance in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, as of Jan. 27, 2025, according to DeepState map. A white symbol marks Pokrovsk. (DeepState/OpenStreetMaps)

Pokrovsk and Kurakhove remain focal points of Russia's eastern offensive, now in its fifth month. Ukraine's General Staff reported that Russian troops are continuing to push on multiple axes, including Lyman, Siversk, Kramatorsk, Toretsk, and Kurakhove.

Trehubov said the Russian command is avoiding urban battles to reduce heavy personnel losses. Despite these efforts, Moscow has so far failed to outflank Pokrovsk and sever its logistics routes.

North Korean troops seem to temporarily withdraw from one section of front in Kursk Oblast, military says
North Korean forces are taking respite from hostilities, presumably to treat the wounded, wait for reinforcements, and work on mistakes made during the fighting in this sector of the front, according to Sky News.
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Tim Zadorozhnyy

News Editor

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.

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