Russian troops advance further towards the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk

Ukraine confirms that the Russian army has advanced further towards the city of Pokrovsk. A number of positions near the strategically located city in the Donetsk region have been destroyed or captured, a Ukrainian army spokesman said on TV.

The Russian invasion force has approached Pokrovsk from the south within a few kilometers. “The fighting is extremely heavy,” Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrsky wrote on social media. According to him, the Russian army is “throwing forward all available forces” in an attempt to break through the lines.

The army spokesman says on TV that an attempt is being made to retake the lost lines. The fall of Pokrovsk could mark the Ukrainian army’s biggest defeat of the year. The city is a junction of major roads and serves as a base. A large number of residents were already evacuated last summer due to the impending battle.

In addition to the south, the Russian threat also comes from the east, as can be concluded from the daily update of the American think tank Institute for the Study of War. Russian soldiers have also conquered territory there recently.

According to Ukraine, President Putin’s army is suffering very heavy losses in this advance. A Ukrainian officer claims that 3,000 Russian soldiers have been eliminated in the Pokrovsk area in two weeks. These messages have not been independently verified.

Over the past month, Russia has sharply increased the pace of war in eastern Ukraine. November saw the most area occupied compared to all other months over the past two years. This is still a relatively small area, approximately slightly smaller than the province of Flevoland.

There are increasing signals that negotiations will soon take place to end the conflict. All eyes are on Trump’s presidency, who will be inaugurated next month. Putin is probably now trying to conquer as much territory as possible for a better position at the negotiating table.