Russia claims it is tightening the noose around Ukrainians in the “gateway” to Donetsk. What is Pokrovsk and why the Russians want it / VIDEO of the battles there
Russia said on Tuesday that its forces were tightening the encirclement around Ukrainian troops in the city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub it has been trying to capture for more than a year.
As fighting rages through the streets of this war-torn city, Moscow's Defense Ministry said its soldiers had liberated 35 buildings from Ukrainian forces.
He claimed that Russian forces are also tightening the encirclement around Ukrainian troops near the city of Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv region.
Information from the battlefield could not be verified, notes Reuters, which points out that its troops are encircled in any of these locations.
DeepState, an online Ukrainian project that maps the front line based on verified images from open sources, showed on Tuesday that Russian forces have made further advances in and around Pokrovsk, although much of the area is still grayed out, not firmly controlled by either side.
Heavy fighting in Pokrovsk. The tactic by which the Russians want to drive the Ukrainians out of the city
Ukraine's military intelligence service said on Tuesday that its special forces were fighting in several areas in Pokrovsk, also releasing images of fighting there.
The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence has released a video featuring unique footage of the “Tymur Special Unit” in action in Pokrovsk, Donetsk oblast. The video includes scenes of a recent helicopter landing with subsequent fire support, intense urban combat, and drone engagements pic.twitter.com/yJJssxU0jO
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) November 4, 2025
Pokrovsk had a population of around 60,000 before the war, but the vast majority of civilians have long since fled. Capturing the city could give Moscow a platform to advance on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the two major cities remaining under Ukrainian control in Donetsk, a region Russia wants to capture entirely.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted on Monday that Pokrovsk was under heavy pressure, but his army said Russian troops were not in full control of any district.
Russian war blogger Rybar said on Tuesday that Moscow's control over the city was gradually expanding, but “complete liberation of the city is still a long way off”.
What the Institute for the Study of War says
Russian forces continue to advance in the direction of Pokrovsk and appear to be operating with increasing ease inside the city, the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) notes in its latest assessment.
A Ukrainian officer reported Monday that Russian forces are continuing efforts to infiltrate deeper into Pokrovsk and are trying to set up observation posts and concentrate forces inside the city.[3] The Ukrainian officer stated that Russian forces are trying to establish positions in some areas of Pokrovsk
Ukrainian forces continue defensive efforts and counterattacks in the direction of Pokrovsk, ISW writes.
Geolocated images released on Monday indicate that Ukrainian forces have recently advanced into eastern Rodynske, an area where Russian sources previously said Russian sources maintained a presence.
The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces “created opportunities” for resupply and reinforcement of troops in the direction of Pokrovsk in recent days. This unit said that Ukrainian forces prevented Russian forces from advancing north of Pokrovsk and cutting access to the H-32 Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad highway.
What is Pokrovsk?
Pokrovsk is a road and rail hub in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, with a pre-war population of around 60,000. Most of the people fled, all the children were evacuated and few civilians remained in the destroyed blocks and houses and the cratered roads.
Ukraine's only mine producing coking coal – used in the once vast steel industry – is located about 10 km west of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian steelmaker Metinvest announced in January that it had suspended mining operations in the area.
The town is on a major road used by the Ukrainian army to supply other positions.
Why Russia wants the city
Russia wants to conquer the entire Donbas region, which includes Luhansk and Donetsk provinces. Ukraine still controls about 10% of Donbas – an area of about 5,000 square km, most of it in northern Donetsk.
The capture of Pokrovsk, called the “gateway to Donetsk” by the Russian media, and the northeastern town of Kostiantynivka, which Russian forces are also trying to encircle, would give Moscow a platform to advance north toward the two major cities remaining under Ukrainian control in Donetsk – Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
It would also give Moscow its most significant territorial gain in Ukraine since the capture of Avdiivka in early 2024.
Some Western military analysts, such as Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the US Institute for Foreign Policy Research, say capturing Pokrovsk would be a major victory for Russia, especially if it can achieve it by the end of the year.
But while important for operational reasons, Lee says the capture of Pokrovsk would still leave Russia with a long way to go in terms of taking control of the rest of the Donetsk region and the two important fortified areas of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
