Russian troops spotted north of Pokrovsk, military confirms
Russian troops have been spotted outside the northern outskirts of the Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, the Ukrainian military has reported, as intense battles for the city continue.
The report, published by the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of Ukraine's Air Assault Forces on Nov. 18, confirms that Russian troops — initially entering Pokrovsk from the south in October — have now likely penetrated all areas of the city, though actual territorial control remains difficult to discern.
"Several enemy infantrymen tried to penetrate and gain a foothold at one of the agricultural facilities," the post read. "The enemy was destroyed."
Consistently one of the main hotspots over the last year of Russia's full-scale war, the battle of Pokrovsk remains ongoing despite Russian troops infiltrating the city in large numbers over November.
According to the 7th Corps, 314 Russian troops have been killed in action in and around Pokrovsk over the month of November, and a further 71 have been wounded.
On top of their attempts to overrun the urban area of Pokrovsk, Russian forces are continuing efforts to enclose an operational encirclement around the sister city of Myrnohrad, where Ukrainian brigades have held out despite their logistics routes being choked by Russian advances on the ground and drone control in the sky.
Pokrovsk, likely to be the largest Ukrainian population center to fall to Russian forces since Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast was captured two and a half years prior, has taken on particular political importance for both sides.
Over recent days, Russian forces have further stepped up efforts to complete the capture of the ruined city, hoping to surge forward beyond Pokrovsk and take the town of Hryshyne, the 7th Corps said.
Despite the threat of encirclement around Myrnohrad, Kyiv has doubled down on efforts to boost the defense of Pokrovsk, with President Volodymyr Zelensky personally visiting the area in November.
