Putin claims Russian forces surrounded Pokrovsk, control 70% of city

Key facts

• President Vladimir Putin claimed Russian forces have surrounded the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.
• Putin stated that Russian forces control 70% of Pokrovsk.
• Ukraine's top general, Oleksandr Syrskyi, disputed the claims, stating Ukrainian defenders are resisting fiercely.
• Moscow has been attempting to gain full control of Pokrovsk, also known as Krasnoarmeysk, since mid-2024.
• Russian forces have used a pincer movement to encircle the city.
• Putin also claimed that Russian troops captured 270 square km of Ukraine’s Donetsk region in August and that a large group of Ukrainian troops were surrounded.

President Vladimir Putin claimed on Tuesday that Russian forces have surrounded the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk and control 70% of it. However, Ukraine's top general, Oleksandr Syrskyi, asserted that Ukrainian defenders are resisting fiercely amid fighting in the city center.

Putin also stated that Russian troops had captured 270 square km of Ukraine’s Donetsk region in August and that a large group of Ukrainian troops were surrounded. He added that Russia continues to advance towards the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk and that Moscow's forces were preparing to launch massive strikes against energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

Moscow has been seeking full control of Pokrovsk, known to Russians by its Soviet-era name Krasnoarmeysk, since mid-2024 as part of its broader objective to seize the entire Donbas industrial region. Instead of a direct frontal assault, Russian forces have employed a pincer movement to encircle the city, infiltrating with small and then larger assault groups.

Putin claimed that Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk and the neighboring town of Myrnohrad were in deep trouble. The Russian Defence Ministry reported that its assault units were advancing in central and northern Pokrovsk and had advanced to the east, west, and south of Myrnohrad. Conversely, General Syrskyi stated that Ukrainian troops had been blocking Russian attempts to stage new assaults on Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, forcing Russia to bring in reserve forces. Ukraine’s Operational Task Force “East” separately reported that its troops had been staging raids south of Pokrovsk's train station.