Small Russian units are attempting to advance around Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, but the town itself is not threatened at the moment, a Ukrainian military spokesperson said on Jan. 6.
Russia has been focusing its efforts on Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in the region, advancing within only a few kilometers south of the town as civilian residents flee.
"The Pokrovsk sector has been one of the hottest parts of the front for the last four weeks, maybe longer," Khortytsia group of forces spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said on national television.
"But they (Russian forces) are currently unable to achieve such a success as to threaten Porkovsk itself."
Trehubov claimed that Moscow's troops are unable to take the town "in pincers" but are attempting to "infiltrate" surrounding settlements.
Russian units are "trying to bypass (Pokrovsk) in one way or another, clinging to individual houses in individual settlements," the spokesperson said.
The DeepState monitoring group shows Russian forces less than 3 kilometers (less than 2 miles) south of the town and largely in control of several nearby settlements like Svehchenko and Dachenske.
Moscow's troops appear to be advancing not only directly from the south but also from the southwest through Pishchane and from the southeast from the direction of Mykolaivka.
Several Ukrainian positions in the surrounding settlements have been destroyed by Russian fire and advances, and Kyiv's forces are "taking measures to prevent the deterioration of the situation," the Khortytsia group said on Telegram on Jan. 7.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Russia has advanced swiftly in Donetsk Oblast in late 2024. After capturing Vuhledar last October, Russia claimed on Jan. 6 that its forces had taken Kurakhove. Fighting is also ongoing within the towns of Chasiv Yar and Toretsk.
Ukraine finds itself increasingly on the back foot as its military faces manpower shortages. The battlefield situation is likely to play a crucial role in the year to come amid U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's calls for peace talks.
Emmanuelle Chaze
(Updated: )
