Author: Constant Méheut and Olha Konovalova
Published on: 29/10/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
Russian troops enter the Ukrainian stronghold of Pokrovsk after months of attacks on the city. The breakthrough underscores the painstaking pace of Moscow’s military advances, but if Russia eventually takes full control of the city it would gain a strategically important bridgehead in eastern Ukraine. Russia would agree to stop fighting only if Kyiv ceded Donetsk. The Kremlin would likely use a capture of Pokrovsk to argue to the Trump administration that its military advances are inexorable. Russian troops in the city outnumbered Ukrainian defenders roughly eight to one. Moscow’s forces began attacking the city about a year ago but were held back by Ukraine’s well-prepared defensive lines and extensive use of drones to detect and target incoming attacks. Russian forces adopted tactics that they have used elsewhere, like relying on small dismounted assault groups, sometimes just two soldiers. Over time, they were able to concentrate enough troops in the city to stage a larger offensive. Russian forces moving in two pincer movements from the city center and villages to the northeast. Only a few miles separate the military advances, forcing Ukrainian reinforcements in the area to move through a narrow corridor under constant fire. Constant Méheut reports on the war in Ukraine, including battlefield developments, attacks on civilian centers and how the war is affecting its people. Read more about our reporting efforts. Advertisement. Read more about the reporting efforts… Click here for more information.
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