Ukrainian military officials have denied Russian claims that their troops have been encircled in the strategic city of Pokrovsk, as street fighting continues to rage across the ruined eastern Ukrainian city. Ukraine's general staff said on Wednesday that efforts were under way to reinforce the flanks around Pokrovsk and the nearby town of Myrnohrad, contradicting Moscow's assertions of a breakthrough.
The situation in Pokrovsk has deteriorated sharply in recent days, according to Ukrainian military analysts. Battlefield maps indicate that Russian forces are only a few miles away from encircling the remaining Ukrainian troops. DeepState, a Ukrainian project that tracks the frontline using verified open-source imagery, reported on Tuesday that Russian forces had advanced further into the city and its outskirts, though much of the area remained contested. The project described the situation as 'critical'.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited troops about 12 miles north of Pokrovsk on Tuesday, thanking them for their service. Over the weekend, Ukraine deployed special forces to the city in an effort to change the momentum and prevent encirclement. However, the operation does not appear to have shifted the situation in Ukraine's favour, and some analysts have questioned the decision to continue defending the city, calling it a potentially costly mistake.
Away from the frontlines, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday instructed senior officials to draw up proposals for possible nuclear weapons testing. Putin said Russia had always abided by the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty but warned that if the US or any other nuclear power conducted a test, Moscow would follow suit. The announcement is seen as a direct response to Donald Trump's recent statement that the US would resume such tests.
Russia has spent more than a year trying to seize Pokrovsk, an important frontline city and logistical hub seen as the gateway to Donetsk. Home to about 50,000 people before the war, the city lies on a crucial highway connecting a network of urban strongholds that make up Ukraine's last major defensive line in the region. Its fall would represent a major breakthrough for Moscow, bringing Russian forces closer to their goal of seizing the entire Donetsk region.
