Ukraine’s top military commander has acknowledged the “difficult conditions” faced by troops defending Pokrovsk, a crucial eastern front-line town, against concentrated Russian forces.
Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi reported Ukrainian forces were confronting a numerically superior “multi-thousand enemy” presence, while refuting Russian claims of encirclement or blockade.
He confirmed the deployment of elite special forces to safeguard vital supply routes, which sources within the army indicate are under Russian fire.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has alleged the surrender of Ukrainian troops and the deaths of 11 special forces personnel purportedly killed after a helicopter insertion, claims denied by Kyiv.
In Telegram posts on Saturday, Gen. Syrskyi stated he was “back on the front” to receive firsthand updates from commanders operating within the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
A brief video shows Syrskyi reviewing battlefield maps with other commanders, including Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence.
The precise time and location of the footage remain unconfirmed.
Ukrainian media outlets previously reported Budanov’s presence in the region to personally oversee the special forces operation.
The deployment of special forces suggests a strong determination from Kyiv to maintain control of Pokrovsk, a town Russia has been attempting to capture for over a year.
Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Response Corps stated on Saturday that Ukrainian forces “have improved [their] tactical position” in Pokrovsk, while acknowledging the situation remained “difficult and dynamic.”
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky underscored the “priority” of defending Pokrovsk.
Reports have increasingly indicated Russian advances around the strategically important town, located west of the Russian-controlled regional capital of Donetsk.
Images shared with news agencies on Friday appeared to depict a Ukrainian Black Hawk helicopter deploying approximately 10 troops near Pokrovsk, although verification of the location and date has not been possible.
Russia’s defence ministry asserted it had thwarted the deployment of Ukrainian military intelligence special forces northwest of the town, claiming the deaths of all 11 troops transported by helicopter.
DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source monitoring group, estimates approximately half of Pokrovsk is a contested “grey zone” lacking full control by either side.
A military source in Donetsk informed the BBC that Ukrainian forces were not encircled, but their supply lines were under fire from Russian forces.
The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War indicated Ukrainian forces had made “marginally advanced” gains during recent counterattacks north of Pokrovsk, but characterized the town as “mainly a contested ‘grey zone'”.
Moscow seeks the cession of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (collectively known as Donbas) by Kyiv as part of any peace agreement, including areas not currently under Russian control.
Russia initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014.
Pokrovsk serves as a key transportation and supply hub, and its capture could facilitate Russian efforts to seize the remainder of the region.
Kyiv also believes that capturing the city would aid Russia in its attempts to persuade the U.S. that its military campaign is succeeding and that the West should accept its demands.
Washington has become increasingly frustrated with the Kremlin’s lack of progress in peace negotiations, culminating in US President Donald Trump placing sanctions on two largest Russian oil producers and axing plans for a summit with President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky has publicly agreed with Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire that would freeze the war along the current front lines.
Putin is refusing to do so, insisting on his maximalist pre-invasion demands that Kyiv and its Western allies see as a de facto capitulation of Ukraine.
Additional reporting by Jaroslav Lukiv
The capture of Pokrovsk could unlock Russian efforts to seize the rest of the Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s president confirms Russian soldiers have taken up position inside the town of Pokrovsk.
A large gulf remains between the US and European view of how to end the Ukraine war.
At least 32 others were injured in the attack, including six children, the city’s mayor says.
The story of a dramatic and heroic rescue that has captured the public imagination in Ukraine.