Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The breakthrough marks one of Russia’s most significant advances in recent months, according to Ukrainian military reports on Sunday.
Nearly 200 Russian soldiers have entered Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region in Eastern Ukraine, Politico reported, citing Ukrainian sources.
The Kremlin’s forces are believed to be pushing to strengthen their position ahead of possible ceasefire negotiations, while Kyiv is battling to hold the city.
Ukraine’s military said the situation remains fluid and violent. Despite the incursion, its troops are not surrounded and have regained some lost ground around the city.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the situation in Pokrovsk as “difficult” and the clashes as “fierce,” emphasizing that the outcome there is “extremely important.”
He said Russian forces had deployed their main assault units to the area.
Holding the defensive line
Zelensky added that Ukrainian troops continue to maintain their primary defensive positions in Donetsk despite the pressure.
“There, near Pokrovsk, the Russians concentrated their main attack force, a significant number of enemy troops,” he said in his nightly address.
Moscow has been attempting to capture Pokrovsk for months, seeing it as a gateway to deeper advances into Donetsk.
Ukrainian commanders have warned that losing the city could threaten the stability of defensive lines across the region.
Kyiv’s forces, supported by Western weapons and intelligence, continue to counterattack to prevent full Russian control of the city.
Ceasefire prospects
The breakthrough comes amid renewed talk of a possible ceasefire.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev told reporters on Friday that Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington were “quite close” to an agreement.
His comments followed Zelensky’s statement that freezing the conflict along current front lines could be “a good compromise.”
According to Politico, Ukrainian and European officials are urging U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Vladimir Putin into dropping his demands to annex additional parts of Donetsk and to agree to a truce based on the existing battlefield positions.
Missile tests and tensions
Tensions escalated further over the weekend after Russia announced it had successfully tested its Burevestnik nuclear missile and was preparing it for potential use in combat.
The move drew a sharp rebuke from Trump, who spoke aboard Air Force One, AFP reported.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for Putin to say that. By the way, he should end the war,” Trump said. “A war that should have lasted a week is now, soon, in its fourth year. That’s what he should be doing instead of testing missiles.”
Sources: Politico, AFP
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation
