Ukraine: Situation in Pokrovsk is “stable” after heavy fighting

2025-01-19 15:00:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A Ukrainian military spokesman claimed that the situation in Pokrovks remains "stable" and there are no Russian troops inside the besieged Ukrainian town, even though authorities have evacuated children from there.

"In Pokrovsk, in the city, the situation has not changed. It is stable," said spokesman Viktor Tregubov, while acknowledging that Russian forces still appear to be aiming to surround the area.

"There are no enemy forces there [in the city]. We must now refute the published information that enemy forces have reached there. This is not true," he insisted.

Russian forces have continued to bomb the city in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, and police on January 18 helped local residents flee the city, according to Radio Free Europe correspondents on the ground.

Once home to 60,000 residents, Pokrovsk currently has around 7,000 residents, local authorities estimate.

The situation around this important logistics hub – which has been targeted by Russian forces in recent months – remains unclear. It is reported that both sides have suffered heavy losses, although neither country's armies publish casualty figures.

Russian forces have been near Pokrovsk for weeks, but some observers have suggested that the Kremlin may decide to avoid fighting in the city and move on to take territory in other parts of Ukraine.

On January 7, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its troops had taken control of the Ukrainian town of Kurakhovo, located about 30 kilometers south of Pokrovsk.

On January 18, the ministry said its forces had taken control of two more settlements in the region, the village of Petropavlivka – located between Pokrovsk and Kurakovo – and Vremivka.

If Russian forces take Pokrovsk, it would be a major victory for the Kremlin as fighting has reduced much of the city to ruins.

In his statement, Tregubov said that "the enemy is trying to stay south of Pokrovsk in order to advance southwest of the settlement and cut off the routes used for logistical supplies."

"What is happening in the settlements south of Pokrovsk... there is constant fighting there, constant attempts by the enemy to make this area their base and advance. The Russians are currently far from achieving this goal, but they are trying," he said.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War, in its latest update on the war in Ukraine, said that "Russian forces have recently advanced towards Pokrovsk and were continuing their offensives on January 17."/REL