Gray zone in Pokrovsk. Ukraine reports reinforcing its positions, Russians advance into the city

Pokrovsk is currently the epicenter of the fighting in Donbass. The Ukrainian army announced that it has reinforced its positions in some parts of the besieged city where Russian troops have entered.

“The situation remains complex and dynamic,” the 7th Rapid Response Force said on Facebook. At the same time, Kyiv is increasing the number of attack troops in the region and attempting to disrupt Russian logistics routes.

According to Ukrainian sources, special forces from the military intelligence service have been sent into the city as part of a “complex air operation.” Several Black Hawk helicopters are said to be involved in the operation, which is being personally led by the head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov.

The Suspilne server reported that the Ukrainians had managed to reach parts of the city that Moscow had previously claimed to have captured.

A video obtained by Reuters news agency shows at least ten soldiers disembarking from a helicopter in a field. However, the agency was unable to verify where and when the video was taken.

The image shows a helicopter and soldiers deployed in the eastern district of Pokrovsk in Ukraine. Photo: Video shared by Ukrainian military source/Reuters

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported in this context that Russian troops subsequently destroyed a team of Ukrainian special forces that had been sent to Pokrovsk.

The Russian side commented that the group of Ukrainian soldiers had entered the encircled area in a Black Hawk helicopter, with Russian sources stating that eleven people had been killed when the helicopter was destroyed. The Reuters news agency reports that the report from the battlefield could not be verified by an independent source.

However, a Ukrainian source told Reuters that all soldiers involved in the operation were alive and continuing to fight to stabilize the front line.

Russia: Ukrainian troops surrender, the city is almost ours

The Russian Ministry of Defense claims via the TASS agency that Ukrainian troops encircled in Pokrovsk are beginning to surrender.

According to Moscow, Russian forces are advancing in Pokrovsk and “cleaning up the area.” They describe the city as the “gateway to Donetsk” — its capture would allow them to advance on other important Ukrainian cities such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. At the same time, this would represent a decisive step in Russia's efforts to control the entire Donbass region, which has long been the scene of heavy fighting.

Gray zone and ongoing uncertainty

Analysts from the DeepState project, which is close to the Ukrainian army, claim that at least half of Pokrovsk is currently in a so-called gray zone – areas that are not completely under the control of either side. Russian troops are trying to encircle the city, attacking with small units and drones that are disrupting Ukrainian logistics.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, about 200 Russian soldiers have entered various parts of the city, with up to 170,000 soldiers reportedly located in the wider area.

Strategic importance of the city

Pokrovsk is an important logistics hub and also home to Ukraine's only coking coal mine, which was used in the steel industry. The mine is located just ten kilometers west of the city, but Metinvest stopped mining there in January. The loss of Pokrovsk would be another serious blow to Kyiv – not only militarily, but also symbolically.

(reuters, lup)