Russian forces advance towards strategic city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s east

(Reuters)

MOSCOW, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Russian forces are just 1.5 km (1 mile) outside the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk after Russian units pushed up from the south, and some advance groups of special forces have even entered the road and rail hub, pro-Russian war bloggers said on Friday.

Russia controls a large chunk of Ukraine and is advancing at the fastest pace since the early days of its invasion in 2022, according to open source maps.

The focus of Russia’s advance since Ukraine carved out a slice of Russia’s Kursk region in August is on the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk where Russia currently controls over 60% of the territory.

A key part of the strategy is to take Pokrovsk, which would allow Moscow to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front and boost its campaign to capture the city of Chasiv Yar, which sits on higher ground offering potential control of a wider area.

Yuri Podolyaka, a prominent Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, said Russian forces were now just 1.5 km from Pokrovsk after a push from the south.

Podolyaka said members of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups, essentially small special forces units which penetrate the front ahead of the advance, were already in the city.

Other Russian war bloggers such as Boris Rozhin gave similar accounts. Reuters was unable to verify battlefield accounts from either side due to reporting restrictions.