KYIV, Ukraine (BN24) — Russia has concentrated roughly 110,000 troops near the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in preparation for what Kyiv described as a renewed push to seize the strategically critical area, Ukraine’s military chief said Friday.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi called the sector surrounding Pokrovsk the “hottest spot” along the 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) front line, where Russian forces have tried and failed to break through for nearly a year despite their overwhelming advantage in manpower and firepower.
Pokrovsk, though not a major urban center, has long been a central target for the Kremlin as Russian President Vladimir Putin pursues control of the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Those territories remain only partially occupied by Moscow’s forces.
“Pokrovsk is key,” Syrskyi said in televised remarks. “Its capture would disrupt our defensive network across Donetsk and open routes toward Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk.”
Before the Russian invasion began in February 2022, Pokrovsk had about 60,000 residents. Almost all have since fled as the city became a hub for Ukrainian military logistics and defense. The last functioning coking coal mine, once a major local employer, shut down earlier this year, prompting more evacuations.
The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Ukrainian forces have used integrated drone reconnaissance and coordinated artillery strikes to blunt Russian advances, compelling Moscow’s commanders to abandon plans for a frontal assault. Instead, Russian troops have been attempting to encircle Pokrovsk from the south and northeast.
Despite Moscow’s buildup, Syrskyi said Russian efforts have been hampered by troop shortages as Kremlin forces redeployed thousands to respond to Ukraine’s surprise raids into Russia’s Kursk region. According to Syrskyi, those operations forced Moscow to divert nearly 63,000 soldiers and around 7,000 North Korean fighters, reducing pressure on Ukrainian lines around Pokrovsk.
“This allowed us to regroup and weaken the enemy’s push on key fronts,” he said. “Their announced capture of Pokrovsk back in September 2024 still hasn’t happened, in part thanks to our actions in Kursk.”
The ISW noted that Russian units in the Pokrovsk area increasingly rely on small fireteams that maneuver on motorcycles, buggies, and all-terrain vehicles to probe Ukrainian defenses.
Syrskyi said Russia’s objectives are as much symbolic as tactical.
“They want to do this not only for operational gains, but also for psychological impact—so they can plant a flag and trumpet another false triumph,” he said.
