Overview
- Reuters and Ukrainian media report a HUR-led operation in the Pokrovsk area, with video showing at least 10 soldiers disembarking from a Black Hawk helicopter in contested territory.
- Russia’s defence ministry says all 11 troops from the landing were killed and reports gains inside Pokrovsk, describing a tightening pincer near supply routes and fighting around Hryshyne.
- Ukrainian outlets, citing Defense Forces sources, say assault units moved into sectors Russia had claimed to control in an effort to disrupt the advance.
- Independent analysts and Ukrainian commanders note further Russian movement in the city and a deteriorating position for Ukrainian defenders, raising the risk of a partial encirclement.
- President Vladimir Putin asserted Pokrovsk and Kupiansk are encircled, a claim Ukrainian sources dispute, as Kyiv estimates roughly 11,000 Russian troops massed near the city and a severe manpower imbalance.