Russian forces pressed into Ukraine’s eastern towns of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad during the past week as Kyiv’s military mounted a stout defence.On Tuesday, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii said almost half of the battles on a 1,200km (745-mile) front were happening in the two towns, claiming Russia has committed 150,000 troops – almost a quarter of its strength in Ukraine – to capturing them.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listRussia sees Pokrovsk as a gateway to the remaining unoccupied parts of Donetsk, the region it has already claimed as its own in September 2022.As Ukrainians were gripped by a corruption scandal involving President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s allies, the battlefront was in a fluid state in which no side seemed to gain a decisive advantage.Both Russia and Ukraine often captured and recaptured neighbourhoods and individual buildings from each other.Hus, a drone squad commander from the 68th Jaeger brigade on the outskirts of Pokrovsk, told the Reuters news agency, “Here, one building is held by our side, the next occupied by the enemy, and in a few hours it swaps.” (Al Jazeera)It did appear, however, that the Russians were slowly gaining ground.Ukrainian troops told Reuters the defence of Pokrovsk was “steadily deteriorating”, despite the army’s efforts to reinforce it.Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its troops were advancing through Pokrovsk in house-to-house battles.A Ukrainian unit commander said Russia was leading its assault with Spetsnaz special forces who were looking for Ukrainian mortar firing crews and drone units, aiming to neutralise them and ease the passage of reinforcements.These tactics had enabled the Russians to capture the centre of Pokrovsk by early November, and in the past week, they were attempting to work their way east and west. Ukrainian defenders appeared to be maintaining a stronghold in the north of Pokrovsk. Advertisemen …
