The Ukrainian army said on Wednesday that Russian troops destroyed or captured several of its positions near the eastern town of Pokrovsk, a strategic logistics and railway hub for Kyiv where the only coke mine is also located. from Ukraine.
Russian forces have advanced towards Pokrovsk at an accelerated pace and are now 3 kilometers from the southern outskirts of the city, according to DeepState, a Ukrainian organization that maps front lines from open sources.
“Due to the prolonged clashes, two of our positions were destroyed and one was lost. Currently, measures are being taken to restore the positions,” said Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman for the Ukrainian army for the Eastern Front, in television commentaries.
Pokrovsk, located about 18 kilometers from the border, between the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, has for months been the scene of intense fighting, among the most violent since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine .
US President-elect Donald Trump, who prepares to take office on January 20, has called for an immediate ceasefire and a quick end to the war.
L’Ukraine a
announced Monday
its intention to organize a summit in December bringing together its main European allies to coordinate a common position and ensure that Ukraine is in a strong position on the battlefield for possible negotiations.
Russia, which Ukraine says has deployed more than 70,000 troops to the Pokrovsk front, has rapidly advanced toward Shevchenko, south of the city, in recent weeks.
Its forces are currently trying to take control of the village and are sending reconnaissance and sabotage groups, said Nazar Volochyn, who added that Ukraine is containing them for now.
The fall of Pokrovsk, an important logistics center for the Ukrainian army in the east of the country, would constitute the biggest military setback for Kyiv in months.
The city is also home to the only domestic supplier of coking coal to Ukraine's once-large steel industry.
The mine, which was still active on December 6, is located 10 km west of Pokrovsk, opposite the Russian advance.
(Yuliia Dysa; French version Mara Vîlcu; edited by Augustin Turpin)
