Russian troops made significant progress near the east-Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk pushing their front-line to just 3km from its southern edges. The military spokesman Nazar Voloshyn reported that Ukraine lost three defensive positions: two got destroyed and one fell to enemy control
The situation near Pokrovsk shows how things changed since last fall; Russian forces moved forward at their fastest speed since early war days. The city (which sits roughly 18km from Donetsk-Dnipropetrovsk border) became a hot-spot in this nearly 3-year conflict
Moscow deployed about 70000 troops to this area — their main goal is capturing this key industrial hub. The Russians are now trying to get into Shevchenko village sending scout groups to test defenses. The city has extra value because it has Ukraines only working coking-coal mine thats still running (located 10km to the west)
The timing is extra important with possible peace-talks coming up. Ukraine wants to keep its positions strong before any discussions start — especially with Donald Trump planning to push for quick cease-fire after he takes office next month. Meanwhile Russian forces keep pushing forward even though Ukraine says theyʼre taking big losses