The analytical project DeepState reported Russian forces advanced in two villages in the Pokrovsk district of Donetsk Oblast on 7 February.
Pokrovsk is a strategically significant city serving as a crucial logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. As of 29 January, approximately 7,000 people remained in Pokrovsk. Reuters reported on 31 January that if captured, the city could serve as a platform for further advances north or west.
The Russian occupying troops have made progress in Dachne and Uspeniivka villages, according to the DeepState.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that defense forces stopped 36 assault and offensive actions by Russian troops in multiple settlements, including Zelene Pole, Vodiane Druhe, Novotoretske, Pokrovsk, Pishchane, Udachne, Myroliubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Kotliarivka, Uspeniivka, Dachne, Andriivka, and Shevchenko.
DeepState reported on 5 February that Russian troops have reduced their number of assault actions on the front. The intensity of attacks has decreased to an average of 95 per day in February, compared to 292 daily attacks during the peak period in December.
Serhii Dobriak, head of the Pokrovsk Military Administration, said on 10 January that the front line is located several kilometers from Pokrovsk. Nearly all critical infrastructure in the city has been destroyed.
Military sources reported on 12 January that Russian occupying forces changed tactics in the Pokrovsk direction, attempting to bypass the city from south to west to reach Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
On 18 January, the Khortytsya Joint Operational Strategic Group denied reports of Russian entry into Pokrovsk. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyі affirmed that defense forces are making maximum efforts to protect the city.
On 2 February, a group of Russian troops from the 1437th Motorized Rifle Regiment fled the front.
Khortytsya spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said on 6 February that Russian forces suffered irreplaceable losses of seven thousand personnel in January – more than during the entire Second Chechen War.
Read also:
- Russians and Ukrainians advance near Donetsk’s Pokrovsk
- Russian casualties near Pokrovsk exceed entire second Chechen war death toll, says Ukrainian military
- ISW: Ukrainians advance in Kharkiv Oblast and near Donetsk’s Pokrovsk, Russians in few Donetsk directions
