The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that although Russian troops are in Pokrovsk, they are being systematically destroyed by Ukrainian forces. According to him, according to data as of today's morning, there are no significant changes, no encirclement has been registered, and the situation remains under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, Ukrinform reported, quoted by BTA.
„The situation in Pokrovsk is difficult. All their (Russia's) forces are concentrated there. You know that there are about 170,000 enemy soldiers in this section of the front - that's a lot. I spoke with the commander-in-chief this morning - there are no changes in Pokrovsk. The Russians are there, but our troops are destroying them gradually, carefully – because we need to keep our soldiers too”, Zelensky said.
The head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) Vasyl Malyuk added that Russia had said it would take Pokrovsk a year and three months ago, but since then it has advanced only seven kilometers. “And they lost tens of thousands of soldiers killed. I won't mention the wounded”, Malyuk said.
Zelensky stressed that when analyzing the situation on the battlefield, it is important to consider the development of events on both sides of the front. “The Russians dominate with drones and use them to control logistics. But you have to understand that we also dominate with drones on our side and block their logistics. When our guys have to go 5 – 10 kilometers because the area is full of drones and vehicles can't reach them, look at the other side – the Russians are walking 25 – 30 kilometers on foot“, he said.
The president stressed that a fierce battle is being fought for Pokrovsk as Russia is trying to take the city at all costs. Russian troops have not managed to capture Sumy, Kupyansk, Dobropilya or Zaporizhia, he noted.
Over the past 24 hours, 132 combat clashes have taken place on the front line, more than a third of which occurred in the Pokrovsk region, the agency reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed decrees imposing sanctions on people working for the Russian military industry and propaganda, Ukrinform reported, citing a post by Zelensky on "Telegram".
"I have also signed new decrees on sanctions against Ukraine, targeting people working for the Russian military industry and propaganda. And we will continue to block any scheme used to circumvent sanctions," Zelensky wrote. However, he did not specify who exactly the new restrictions are aimed at.
Today, during a briefing, Zelensky also said that Ukraine will soon coordinate its actions with the 19th package of sanctions of the European Union. "Next month, we will complete the synchronization (of the sanctions packages with our partners), fulfilling all our plans and commitments," the Ukrainian president said.
After a meeting attended by Sanctions Commissioner Vladislav Vlasyuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk and the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Oleh Ivashchenko, Zelensky ordered officials to step up cooperation with international partners to synchronize the current sanctions.
"The cumulative effect of sanctions has the greatest impact, which is why it is crucial for partners to adopt brands that have already been implemented by their neighbors within their own jurisdiction. "This requires significant efforts within the G7 (Group of Seven most developed democracies) as well as across Europe - to ensure that EU sanctions are supported by Switzerland, Norway, the UK and other non-EU countries - and also close cooperation with Japan, Canada and the US," Zelensky said.