Ukraine faces ‘exhausting battles’ against Russia in Zaporizhia, Donetsk

Russian forces pressed into Ukraine’s eastbound towns of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad during the past week arsenic Kyiv’s subject mounted a stout defence.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii said astir fractional of the battles connected a 1,200km (745-mile) beforehand were happening successful the 2 towns, claiming Russia has committed 150,000 troops – astir a 4th of its spot successful Ukraine – to capturing them.

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Russia sees Pokrovsk arsenic a gateway to the remaining unoccupied parts of Donetsk, the portion it has already claimed arsenic its ain successful September 2022.

As Ukrainians were gripped by a corruption scandal involving President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s allies, the battlefront was successful a fluid authorities successful which nary broadside seemed to summation a decisive advantage.

Both Russia and Ukraine often captured and recaptured neighbourhoods and idiosyncratic buildings from each other.

Hus, a drone squad commandant from the 68th Jaeger brigade connected the outskirts of Pokrovsk, told the Reuters quality agency, “Here, 1 gathering is held by our side, the adjacent occupied by the enemy, and successful a fewer hours it swaps.”

(Al Jazeera)

It did appear, however, that the Russians were dilatory gaining ground.

Ukrainian troops told Reuters the defence of Pokrovsk was “steadily deteriorating”, contempt the army’s efforts to reenforce it.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its troops were advancing done Pokrovsk successful house-to-house battles.

A Ukrainian portion commandant said Russia was starring its battle with Spetsnaz peculiar forces who were looking for Ukrainian mortar firing crews and drone units, aiming to neutralise them and easiness the transition of reinforcements.

These tactics had enabled the Russians to seizure the centre of Pokrovsk by aboriginal November, and successful the past week, they were attempting to enactment their mode eastbound and west. Ukrainian defenders appeared to beryllium maintaining a stronghold successful the northbound of Pokrovsk.

In Myrnohrad, to the eastbound of Pokrovsk, Russian troops were infiltrating the eastbound reaches of the town, and this week made a marginal beforehand into its bluish edge, portion Ukrainian defenders firmly held the bulk of it.

Both towns are precariously situated successful a Russian encirclement from the north, southbound and east, successful which proviso and flight routes are lone disposable towards the west.

The operational value of the towns’ seizure by Russia depended connected “whether Ukrainian forces behaviour an orderly withdrawal oregon disorderly retreat” and connected “Russian forces’ quality to exploit the illness of the pouch and behaviour a palmy pursuit”, wrote the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based deliberation tank.

(Al Jazeera)

Russia’s Defence Ministry has repeatedly claimed that the towns’ implicit envelopment and surrender with forces inactive wrong was imminent.

Yet Ukraine has defied Russian expectations and fought on, engaging successful what Syrskii called an “active defence”, utilizing drones for “search and onslaught operations” that took a toll.

“Every metre of our onshore costs Russia hundreds of subject lives,” Syrskii wrote connected the Telegram messaging platform.

In October alone, Syrskii said, short-range drones had struck 77,000 targets, a 16 percent summation connected the 66,500 targets helium said had been struck successful September, which successful crook represented an 11 percent summation connected August.

These figures suggested that Russian infiltrators’ efforts successful smoking retired drone units and cutting disconnected Ukrainian resupply were gathering with little occurrence than the Russian bid mightiness person hoped.

At the opening of the week, Russia besides stiffened its violative adjacent Huliaipole, astir 60km (37 miles) southwest of Pokrovsk, connected the borderline of the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions.

Police officers assistance a nonmigratory during an evacuation from the front-line municipality of Huliaipole successful the Zaporizhia region, Ukraine, connected November 11, 2025 [Sergiy Chalyi/Reuters]

Syrskii said the concern had “significantly worsened” there, and that “exhausting battles” were taking spot for Rivnopillia and Yablukove. Geolocated footage showed Ukraine was forced to wantonness Rivnopillia connected Tuesday.

On Saturday, Axios reported that the United States authorities shutdown whitethorn person delayed transportation of $5bn of weapons systems to NATO allies and Ukraine, though it did not gully a nonstop transportation betwixt this and the defence of Pokrovsk.

Russia kept up unit connected different parts of the front.

Its Defence Ministry claimed to person seized Uspenovka, Novoye and Sladkoye successful Zaporizhia, Volchye successful Dnipropetrovsk, and Gnatovke successful Donetsk.

Ukraine’s heavy strikes

Far from the crushed war, Ukraine continued to pummel Russian refineries successful a bid to chopped disconnected its substance proviso to the front.

Lukoil’s Volgograd refinery stopped operations connected November 6 aft being deed by Ukrainian drones, according to unnamed sources who spoke to Reuters. They said that the superior processing unit, representing a 5th of the plant’s full capableness and different instrumentality was damaged.

On Saturday, Ukraine struck substations adjacent Belgorod, causing a blackout successful the city.

On Sunday, Ukraine caused a occurrence astatine the larboard and lipid terminal of Tuapse, connected the Black Sea. Russia said it destroyed 4 Ukrainian aboveground drones heading for the Tuapse lipid terminal, which Ukraine has struck repeatedly successful caller weeks, but others indispensable person got through.

(Al Jazeera)

Ukraine besides struck a powerfulness works successful Voronezh.

On Tuesday, the Saratov refinery caught occurrence aft being attacked by drones. Explosions were besides heard coming from the adjacent refinery successful Orsk.

“Russia has an aerial defence deficit, with losses including S-300, S-400, and galore Pantsir [air defence] systems that protected facilities,” wrote the caput of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko.

“Most of the enemy’s aerial defence is adjacent the beforehand and Moscow, creating important gaps successful Russia’s airspace. To understand, astir Russians successful the state are not protected by [President Vladimir] Putin astatine all, though helium perpetually promised information to everyone.”

(Al Jazeera)