Overview
- Russia says its forces seized 35 buildings in Pokrovsk and encircled Ukrainian units, claims Kyiv disputes as open-source mapping points to a narrow northern corridor still under Ukrainian control.
- Ukraine’s military intelligence reports ongoing operations by the GUR’s Timur unit in key districts, releasing video of a UH-60 Black Hawk landing and additional special-operations teams reinforcing the city.
- Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi describes fierce urban combat and estimates that more than 100,000 Russian troops are concentrated in the sector.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky visited front-line commands in Donetsk, meeting Azov Corps commander Denys Prokopenko near Dobropillia to bolster defenses tied to the Pokrovsk sector.
- Ukrainian drones struck the Sterlitamak petrochemical complex deep inside Russia as Moscow hit Odesa’s energy and port sites, and President Vladimir Putin signed laws easing reserve call-ups and enabling year-round conscription while rebuffing informal ceasefire overtures.