Heavy Fighting Near Pokrovsk Between Ukrainian and Russian Forces

What Happened?

Russian and Ukrainian ground forces have been engaged in heavy fighting near the town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine during the past week. The town, which is a railroad hub in the Donetsk region, had a prewar population of nearly sixty thousand, but today fewer than one thousand residents are thought to remain due to three years of war. 

Russian forces are believed to be in control of the southwestern portions of the town, but Ukrainian ground units are continuing to provide heavy resistance. According to a statement by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, a third of all the battles along the front line, which stretches almost 750 miles across eastern Ukraine, are now concentrated in or near Pokrovsk.

Why it Matters

If Russian forces were to take control of Pokrovsk, it would be the largest town in Ukraine to fall since Bakhmut in 2023. Both Russian and Ukrainian media sources have been claiming their side is winning the battle for Pokrovsk, but the town itself has mostly been reduced to rubble. Identified as an important objective by Russia early in the war, the struggle to take Pokrovsk illustrates the difficulties still facing the Russian military in the war against Ukraine.

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The Donetsk region, which is in the far eastern portion of Ukraine, has been the epicenter of intense fighting since 2014, which was long before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russian speakers make up most of the population in Donetsk, and many residents there would prefer to be part of Russia instead of Ukraine. The Donetsk region is also an industrial center, which is why both Ukraine and Russia have sought to control it.

Russia’s inability to take control of the Donetsk region is likely due to two factors, fierce Ukrainian resistance and poor logistics on the part of the Russian military. Ukraine’s defenders have fought with more determination and skill than Russia expected, and Russia’s ability to move crucial supplies to the front have been hampered by a combination of incompetence and corruption. Supply theft has been a problem for Russia, with military officers sometimes stealing crucial supplies and selling them for profit.

With the war now in its third year and no end in sight, both Russia and Ukraine have tried to control the narrative of who is winning, and as a result disinformation about nearly every major battle has been a consistent feature of the conflict. 

How it Affects You

Russian President Vladmir Putin has ignored U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls to end the war in Ukraine, rebuffing American led efforts to negotiate a peace treaty or cease fire. The stalemate and occasionally heavy combat in eastern Ukraine is likely to continue for the rest of 2025 and into 2026.