In the vicinity of the strategic city of Pokrovsk in the DPR, Russia has concentrated 110 thousand troops. This was stated by the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky, according to CNN.
According to Syrsky, the area around Pokrovsk is now the "hottest point" along the 1,200-kilometer front line.
Syrsky told reporters that at some point the operation "Kursk" delayed almost 63 thousand Russian troops and about 7 thousand North Korean troops.
"This allowed us to ease enemy pressure on the main fronts and regroup our troops. And the capture of Pokrovsk by the enemy, which was announced back in September 2024, has not yet taken place, including thanks to our Kursk operation," reported Syrsky.
In a statement published on Friday, Syrsky said that Russia continues to try to break through to the administrative border of the DPR.
Instead of continuing the attack on the city directly, the Russian Armed Forces began to surround the city from the south and northeast, the TV channel notes. In its latest assessment, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Russian troops continue to attack in small firing groups of one or two soldiers, sometimes on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and buggies.
Despite the fact that Pokrovsk is not a large city, it is located on a key supply highway and a railway that connects it with other military hubs in the area. Together with Konstantinovka, Kramatorsk and In Slavyansk, he forms the backbone of the Ukrainian defense in that part of the DPR, which is still under the control of Kiev, CNN notes.
As EADaily reported, after trying to take the city of Pokrovsk in the DPR from the east, the Russian army changed tactics and is now trying to bypass it from the west. This was reported by The Times newspaper.
The Russian Armed Forces are aimed at taking control of the key route leading from Konstantinovka. This locality, located about 35 miles from Pokrovsk is an important logistics hub of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Recall, the units of the Center group of forces broke through to the outskirts of the city of Pokrovsk in the DPR. This was reported the day before by the telegram channel "Military Correspondents of the Russian Spring."