Russia has said that Ukrainian troops fighting in the embattled eastern cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk are surrounded and should surrender, warning that they face certain death if they continue to resist.
Moscow’s Push For Full Control of Donbas
According to Russia’s defence ministry, its forces have almost fully encircled Ukrainian troops in Pokrovsk—dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk”—and have gained control of significant parts of Kupiansk. Russia has been attempting to capture Pokrovsk since 2024 as part of its wider goal to seize the entire Donbas region, around 10% of which remains under Ukrainian control.
Rather than relying on direct assaults, Russian troops have used pincer tactics to cut off supply routes and isolate Ukrainian positions. The ministry said that its mobile units, supported by drones, have been targeting logistics hubs and disrupting Ukrainian communications.
Battlefield reports suggest that Russian forces are only a few kilometres from completing the encirclement of Pokrovsk, while in Kupiansk they are advancing along the city’s main access road.
Conflicting Claims From Both Sides
The Russian defence ministry contradicted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s statement earlier in the week that Ukrainian troops were successfully clearing a small Russian force in Kupiansk. Moscow said that Ukrainian units are trapped in “cauldrons” with their situation worsening by the hour, leaving “no chance for Ukrainian servicemen to save themselves other than by voluntary surrender.”
Russian military bloggers have described the battle zones as “grey areas” where neither side has complete control. These zones, they claim, make it extremely difficult for Ukraine to stabilise its defences.
Escalation In The East
Nearly four years into the war—Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two—Russia continues to expand its control in the east, including parts of the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Moscow’s military claims to hold more than 19% of Ukrainian territory, or roughly 116,000 square kilometres.
Meanwhile, pro-Ukrainian maps indicate that Russia has seized over 3,400 square kilometres of territory so far this year alone, underscoring the continued intensity of the fighting and the slow but steady Russian advance in eastern Ukraine.
(with inputs from Reuters)
