Ukrainian troops in northern Pokrovsk 'almost cut off' as Russian drones dominate logistics routes, military says

Ukrainian troops are holding several positions in northern Pokrovsk that are "almost cut off" as Russian forces increasingly dominate the skies, logistics routes, and high ground around the embattled Donetsk Oblast city, Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Response Corps said in a detailed battlefield assessment published on X on May 18.

The statement offers a sobering picture of the deteriorating situation north of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian troops say Russian drone superiority has made troop rotations, evacuations, and resupply missions nearly impossible.

According to the corps, Russian forces "control the high ground and the city’s buildings," while deploying surveillance and electronic warfare systems that dominate the skies over northern Pokrovsk and nearby Hryshyne.

Pokrovsk has long served as a key logistics hub for Ukrainian forces, located at the intersection of major rail and highway routes. In a costly operation that has lasted more than a year, Russia has committed a large number of troops in an effort to capture the city.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Dec. 1 that Russian troops had captured the Ukrainian cities of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, a claim denied by Ukraine at the time and contradicted by continued fighting since.

The 7th Rapid Response Corps corps described a roughly 25-kilometer (15-mile) "kill zone" north of Pokrovsk covered by Russian drone operators launching strikes from industrial areas in Pokrovsk and mining sites near Rodynske. Russian forces hold an "unquestionable advantage" in drone warfare in the area, the statement said.

"Our logistics to these positions are minimal and only possible by air — via drones," the statement said, adding that unmanned ground vehicles are immediately destroyed by Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones.

According to the corps, Ukraine's broader goal is to turn Pokrovsk itself into a "kill zone" for Russian forces in order to push them out of the Hryshyne area, where Russian positions are severely complicating Ukrainian logistics into the northern part of the city.

Describing the difficulties of reaching the front line, the military said armored vehicles can only move through limited sections of the route under anti-drone mesh tunnels, which are themselves regularly targeted by Russian attacks.

"Any closer, and the vehicles would simply be burned out. The group is visible as if in the palm of a hand. Reconnaissance drones are overhead, followed by ranging rounds from artillery or MLRS. You either move quickly or hide in cover," the corps said, explaining why infantry units are often forced to dismount around 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the front line.

The challenge is compounded by the terrain and constant drone surveillance. Although troops may be dropped off roughly 15 kilometers from the front, they cannot move in a straight line and instead must travel around 26 kilometers through tree lines and ravines to avoid detection by Russian drones.

The journey can take up to three days of what the corps described as "hide-and-seek with death."

The corps added that Ukrainian infantry entering Pokrovsk often does so without armored support or reserves while being "constantly detected and targeted by omnipresent drones whose launch points he cannot see."

Pokrovsk has remained one of the key focal points of Russia’s offensive in Donetsk Oblast for months due to its role as a major logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in the region.