Russia has intensified its offensive in east, situation around Pokrovsk has significantly deteriorated, - FT
Russia has intensified its offensive in eastern Ukraine amid the failure of peace efforts under the auspices of the United States, and some Russian troops have entered the stronghold of Pokrovsk.
This is reported reported by The Financial Times, Censor.NET informs.
Putin ordered to capture Pokrovsk by mid-November
It is noted that earlier Ukraine denied Russia's claims that its troops had completely surrounded Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk, which until last year was a logistics centre and, if captured, could have become a springboard for further advance of Russian troops,
However, on Sunday, Ukraine's General Staff acknowledged that around 200 Russian troops had entered Pokrovsk and that fierce fighting was ongoing at several hotspots along the 1,000km frontline. Zelenskyy acknowledged the "difficult situation" in Pokrovsk.
"There are fierce battles everywhere, in particular on the outskirts of the city, sabotage groups are operating in the city itself, and logistics are complicated," he said on Sunday.
Enemy advance in Donetsk region
As part of an offensive that has been going on for several months, Russian troops have been slowly advancing on several frontline areas and have recently reached the outskirts of the cities of Lyman and Kostiantynivka.
Along with Pokrovsk, both cities are located in the Donetsk region, which Putin demanded to be handed over to Russia as a condition for a ceasefire.
The fighting has become more chaotic, as both sides are increasingly using drones with explosives to strike transport convoys and military equipment up to 20 km from the line of contact. The Ukrainian war monitoring group DeepState reported on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had retaken three villages north of Pokrovsk.
Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration
According to the FT, Russia's main offensive remains focused on the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration, two mining cities with a pre-war population of about 100,000.
Last year, Russian troops were slowly moving north and south of these two cities in an attempt to encircle them or bring important logistical routes within the range of their drones.
However, in recent weeks, the situation around Pokrovsk has deteriorated significantly as small groups of Russian units have begun to penetrate the poorly manned Ukrainian defensive positions and enter the city.
As a reminder, the other day, "Ukrainska Pravda", citing the military, reported on the critical situation in Pokrovsk. According to them, there were at least 250 Russian occupiers in the city, who were engaged in small arms battles and shooting Ukrainian soldiers at their positions, including UAV operators. Logistics to the city is under the full control of Russian drones.
