Satellite images show scale of destruction in Pokrovsk as Russia pushes to take key Ukrainian city
War-torn Ukrainian city left in ruins after more than a year of fighting
- New satellite images show Pokrovsk, a key strategic city in Ukraine, has been largely reduced to ruins after more than a year of intense fighting with Russia.
- Russia's defence ministry claims its forces are advancing in Pokrovsk, engaging in house-to-house battles as part of a push to capture a significant urban centre.
- Ukrainian military officials have rejected Russian claims of large territorial gains and encirclement, though they acknowledge the situation has become difficult.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the embattled region, meeting with Ukrainian armed forces personnel near Pokrovsk, to counter Moscow's assertions.
- The capture of Pokrovsk, considered the 'gateway to Donetsk', would provide Russia with a territorial platform to advance further into Ukraine's defensive lines towards Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.