Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said the area around Pokrovsk was the "hottest spot" along the 1,200km frontline running through the east.
Russian forces tried to take it for nearly a year with repeated attacks. But despite a clear advantage in the number of troops and weapons available, Moscow failed to take the city.
Pokrovsk is a strategic target for Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that his goal is to capture all of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which are partly occupied by Russian forces.
A bombed building in Pokrovsk city (Photo: Reuters)
Although not a large city, Pokrovsk lies on an important supply and rail route that connects it to other military centers in the region. Along with Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, it forms the backbone of Ukraine's defenses in the part of the Donetsk region that remains under Kiev's control.
About 60,000 people lived in Pokrovsk before the fighting, but most have left in the three years since Russia launched its special military operation.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in late 2024 that Ukrainian defenses in Pokrovsk forced Russia to abandon its initial plan to capture the city with a frontal assault.
In its latest assessment on June 27, ISW said Russian forces continued to attack in small groups of one or two soldiers, sometimes on motorbikes, ATVs and buggies.
General Syrksky said Russia continued to try to penetrate the administrative border of the Donetsk region.
Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/nga-tap-hop-110000-quan-gan-mat-tran-chien-luoc-cua-ukraine-post1551091.html
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