Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk to Halt Russian Advance

(Patria) - Ukraine sent special forces earlier this week to fight in endangered parts of the eastern city of Pokrovsk, just as Russia announced it had encircled Ukrainian forces in that area, two Ukrainian military sources said on Friday, Reuters reported.

The operation shows how Ukraine is fighting to stabilize the situation in the strategically important city after tens of thousands of Russian troops breached its perimeter this month. Russia's capture of Pokrovsk, an important road and rail hub, could allow further advances into the eastern Donetsk region, which Russia intends to fully occupy. The Russian army has been slowly approaching Pokrovsk for more than a year.

Ukrainian special forces landed by a Black Hawk helicopter a few days ago in an operation complicated by Russian drone activity, a source from the 7th Rapid Response Corps said.

Spy Chief Oversees Operation

The operation was overseen by the head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov. The troops headed to areas of the city that Russia is attacking and considered vital for Ukrainian supply lines, another source said.

Footage seen by Reuters shows at least ten soldiers disembarking from a helicopter onto a field. The news agency could not independently confirm the location or date of the video. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on this operation.

At least 200 Russian soldiers have breached defenses and entered the city, the Ukrainian military announced.

The Chief of the Ukrainian Army admitted on Thursday that the situation was "difficult," saying that supply lines and defenses in the area needed to be strengthened.
DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source mapping project, estimates that at least half of the city is in a disputed area that neither side fully controls.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly addressed the battle for Pokrovsk in his evening address to Ukrainians.

"We continue to destroy the occupier. The most important thing is to stop Russian attacks wherever possible."