Russian forces are reportedly close to capturing the strategically important eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a critical road and rail hub in the Donetsk region. This move, achieved through a pincer movement and infiltration by small units, aims to solidify Russia's control over the Donbas region.

• Pokrovsk had a pre-war population of 60,000 people, with most now evacuated, and is crucial for Ukrainian military logistics.
• The city is near Ukraine's only mine producing coking coal, a vital resource for its steel industry, with mining operations suspended by Metinvest.
• The capture of Pokrovsk would provide Moscow a platform to advance towards Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the two largest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in Donetsk, following tactics different from earlier frontal assaults like in Bakhmut.