Ukraine has deployed special forces to the eastern city of Pokrovsk to maintain control amid an intense Russian offensive, its military chief Oleksandr Syrskii said.

Russia has sought to capture the city, a key supply route and “gateway to Donetsk,” since mid-2024, and taking it would mark Moscow’s most significant territorial gain since seizing Avdiivka.

Russian authorities claim they have encircled Ukrainian forces and posted videos of two captured soldiers, though Kyiv denies any full encirclement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged Russian infiltration but said his forces are clearing them out, Al-Jazeera has reported.

Control of Pokrovsk and nearby Kostiantynivka would allow Russia to advance toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the largest remaining Ukrainian-held cities in Donetsk.