Overview
- Russia says its forces seized 64 buildings in the past day and have encircled pockets of Ukrainian troops, while Kyiv denies encirclement and reports counterattacks by special units.
- Battlefield maps from the Ukraine-linked group DeepState show Russian gains and describe the city as being gradually absorbed, with a remaining withdrawal corridor of roughly five kilometers.
- Street-by-street combat grips Pokrovsk and nearby Myrnohrad as Russian tactics emphasize small infiltration teams under heavy drone cover rather than large armored assaults.
- Ukraine’s commander in chief estimates about 100,000 Russian troops are concentrated for the fight, and local commanders report Ukrainian units are heavily outnumbered in the sector.
- If captured, Pokrovsk would be the largest Ukrainian city taken since Bakhmut and a boost to Moscow’s narrative, though analysts say the loss would be symbolically heavy rather than immediately decisive, with the ruined city down to roughly 1,300 residents.