Ukrainian military official: Russian forces are trying to cut off supplies to Pokrovsk

"Russian troops are encircling Pokrovsk and occupying the highway leading from there to the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine," a local Ukrainian military spokesman told The Associated Press.

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Detail from Pokrovsko, Photo: Reuters
Detail from Pokrovsko, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Russian forces are bypassing the key stronghold and vital logistics hub of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, which has been the scene of months of fighting, and are instead trying to cut supply lines to it, a Ukrainian military official said today.

"Russian troops are encircling Pokrovsk and seizing the highway leading from there to the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine," a spokesman for the local Ukrainian military told The Associated Press.

That route is crucial for supplying Ukrainian forces throughout the region. Interruption of traffic on the highway would also seriously weaken the defense of Pokrovsko.

The Ukrainian army is under great pressure along all parts of the front line, which is about 1.000 kilometers long, especially in the eastern region of Donetsk where Pokrovsk is located. In an address late Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the fighting over Pokrovsk was the most intense in recent days.

After almost three years of war, Ukrainian units are exhausted and outnumbered by Russian forces. Although its progress on the battlefield has been slow and costly, the momentum in the war is in Russia's favor, agencies report.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to increase his advantage on the front ahead of the arrival of US President-elect Donald Trump in the White House on January 20. Trump has said he can quickly end the Russia-Ukraine war, although he has yet to release details of his peace plan.

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