Ukraine sends special forces to eastern city Pokrovsk amid Russia offensive

Ukrainian service main says effort continues ‘to destruct and dislodge’ Russian forces from strategical Donetsk portion city.

Ukraine has deployed peculiar forces to the embattled eastern metropolis of Pokrovsk, the country’s apical subject commandant said, arsenic Kyiv seeks to support power of the country amid an aggravated Russian offensive.

Russia has been trying to seizure Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk”, since mid-2024 successful its run to power the entirety of the eastbound Donetsk region.

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“We are holding Pokrovsk,” Ukraine’s service main Oleksandr Syrskii said connected Facebook connected Saturday. “A broad cognition to destruct and dislodge force forces from Pokrovsk is ongoing.”

Home to much than 60,000 radical earlier the Russia-Ukraine warfare began successful February 2022, Pokrovsk lies connected a large proviso way for the Ukrainian army.

Taking power of the metropolis would beryllium the astir important Russian territorial summation wrong Ukraine since Moscow took implicit Avdiivka successful aboriginal 2024 aft 1 of the bloodiest battles of the conflict.

Russia and Ukraine person presented conflicting accounts of what has been happening successful Pokrovsk successful caller days.

The Russian Ministry of Defence connected Saturday claimed its forces had defeated the squad of Ukrainian peculiar forces that were sent to the city. It aboriginal posted videos showing 2 men it said were Ukrainians who had surrendered.

The footage shows the men, 1 dressed successful fatigues and the different successful a acheronian greenish jacket, sitting against a peeling partition successful a acheronian room, arsenic they talk of fierce warring and encirclement by Russian forces.

The video’s authenticity could not beryllium independently verified, and determination was nary contiguous nationalist remark from Kyiv connected the Russian ministry’s claims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed past week that his forces had encircled the city’s Ukrainian defenders.

But Syrskii, the Ukrainian service chief, said connected Saturday that portion the concern successful Pokrovsk remains “hardest” for Ukrainian forces, determination is nary encirclement oregon blockade arsenic Russia has claimed.

“The main load lies connected the shoulders of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, peculiarly UAV operators and battle units,” Syrskii said.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged connected Friday that immoderate Russian units had infiltrated Pokrovsk, but helium insisted that Kyiv is weeding them out.

Russian officials accidental power of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka to its northeast would let Moscow to thrust northbound towards the 2 biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities successful Donetsk – Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.