Russian and Ukrainian troops battle in ruins of Pokrovsk

MOSCOW/KYIV, November 5 ------ Russian and Ukrainian troops fought battles on Tuesday in the ruins of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub in eastern Ukraine that Moscow has been trying to capture for over a year.

Ukraine's military said fierce fighting was underway in a part of the city that was key for Kyiv's frontline logistics. It said additional special forces had arrived there, and more weapons and equipment were being sent. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spent the day visiting troops near Pokrovsk and in nearby areas, including Dobropillia, where Ukrainian forces are conducting a counteroffensive against Russian troops. Writing on the Telegram messaging app, Zelensky said military commanders reported on "the stabilization of the defensive line and coordination with adjacent units". "Attention was given to strengthening our defenses and providing the soldiers with everything they need".

Russia's Defense Ministry said its soldiers had cleared 35 buildings of Ukrainian troops. It also said that Russian forces were squeezing surrounded Ukrainians near the town of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, about 100 miles (160 km) to the north.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the General Staff of Ukraine's military reaffirmed, in comments to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, that not a single military unit was encircled in the Pokrovsk sector. With peace talks at an impasse in the fourth year of the war, Russia says it has the initiative on all sections of the front, yet it has not captured a major town since taking Avdiivka in early 2024. Ukraine says the fighting is largely stalemated and its territorial losses have been marginal.

Source: reuters.com