Pokrovsk was dubbed a "fortress" settlement in the Donetsk region, key to Ukrainian lines in the east and connected to other cities forming the backbone of Ukraine's defense in the east. Russia kicked off a push to take Pokrovsk in the summer of 2024.

From the front-line city of Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk, to Zaporizhzhia in the south, there is little doubt that Russia is making advances. But, battlefield monitors suggest the picture is not quite so bleak for Ukraine as Trump and Putin suggest.

Russia is willing to endure tremendous human losses in the hopes that it will sap Ukraine of the resources and will to keep fighting. Ultimately, the Kremlin leader wants to regain political sway over Kyiv, reclaim Russia’s status as a great power and secure his place in history, Russia watchers say.

Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia's general staff, told President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that Moscow's forces controlled more than 75% of the city of Pokrovsk and were advancing in the face of "stubborn resistance".

Russia is closing in on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a strategic hub that Ukrainian forces have defended for more than a year.

Military analysts and some Ukrainian commanders worry that Kyiv may be repeating the mistake of staying in an embattled city longer than it should, aiming to inflict far more casualties than it suffers.

The battle for Pokrovsk, which Russians refer to by its Soviet-era name Krasnoarmeysk, has been going on since the middle of 2024. Located in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, it was an important logistics hub for the Ukrainian army.

KYIV – Ukraine’s military on Nov 20 dismissed statements by the chief of Russia’s general staff that Moscow’s forces had seized the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk and controlled large sections of the towns of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk.

Russia has shifted its tactics. Instead of a full-scale frontal assault, it has been using a slower method, sending small units and drones to disrupt supply lines and encircle the city.

A Russian strike on Ukraine's western city of Ternopil killed at least 25 people, including three children, in the ongoing war's deadliest attack for weeks.