In these minutes, Ukrainian defenders are conducting clearing operations in Pokrovsk to prevent the city from being captured by Russian forces. The soldiers are pushing the aggressor back and working to prevent a strategic breakthrough in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's 7th Rapid Response Corps reports.
Ukraine reinforces positions as Russia tightens its advance with every second
According to the reports, Russia has concentrated nearly 170,000 troops on the Pokrovsk front. The occupiers are continuing to infiltrate the city and conducting free reconnaissance from drones. Meanwhile, Ukrainian soldiers refuse to leave the ground.
“Over the past few days, the Defense Forces have created conditions to replenish our troops in the area of responsibility with additional personnel and equipment,” Ukraine's 7th Rapid Response Corps said.
The Ukrainian forces prevented the Russians from cutting off the road connecting Pokrovsk and Rodynske.
“To counter the enemy, we are continuing to deploy more assault units and special forces,” the report states.
According to Ukraine's 7th Rapid Response Corps, the city’s defenses have already been reinforced with additional forces.
“We have clear plans to counter the enemy and maintain close coordination to stabilize the situation," it said.
On 28 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian forces are trying to capture Pokrovsk in order to convince the US administration that they are allegedly capable of taking all of eastern Ukraine.
According to Zelenskyy, the Kremlin needs Pokrovsk only as a symbol to impose on the world the idea that Ukraine should withdraw its troops from the east and surrender the remaining territories to the occupiers.
Pokrovsk’s twin city also appears in Russian "combat pocket"
According to some sources, up to a thousand Russian troops may be present in the city. The railway line running through Pokrovsk effectively divides it in half. OSINT sources have started marking the southern part of the city as a gray zone or under Russian control.
Nevertheless, there is currently no encirclement or “cauldron.” The occupiers are conducting raids into the central, western, and northern parts of the city, engaging in close combat.
An additional threat comes from simultaneous enemy pressure on Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk’s twin city. Both localities are now effectively in a “pocket,” with logistics hampered by constant FPV drone attacks on supply routes, RBC reports.
“The fate of Pokrovsk will be decided in the coming weeks. If we lose Pokrovsk, we’ll likely have to abandon Myrnohrad without a fight. And then this problem will spread further north in Donetsk Oblast," a source said.
Meanwhile, Russian occupation forces reportedly have a new “deadline” for seizing the entire Donetsk Oblast by the end of February 2026. That means that the region is expected to remain the epicenter of fighting throughout the coming winter.
