The military command of Ukraine admitted today that there is a problem with the supply of the city of Pokrovsk and neighboring Mirnograd amid the ongoing efforts of Ukrainian servicemen to repel advancing Russian forces, DPA reported, BTA reported.
However, reports that Mirnograd is completely besieged are not true, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) told the news website "Ukrainska Pravda". Spokesman Major Andriy Kovalov did not specify the nature of the supply problems, but denied claims that Russian troops have full control over Ukrainian supply routes.
Ukrainian troops in Mirnograd received ammunition yesterday and the wounded were evacuated, Kovalov stressed. In Pokrovsk, Ukrainian forces continue to repel Russian invaders, he said.
After a year of fierce fighting, Pokrovsk and Mirnograd may be on the verge of falling into Russian hands, DPA notes. The Ukrainian positions, whose territory is now reduced to a few square kilometers, are largely within range of Russian drones, making any movement extremely dangerous.
Earlier today, the Russian Defense Ministry repeated its claim that Ukrainian forces in both cities are completely blocked. According to the Russian military, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attempts to unblock their units in Pokrovsk and Mirnograd have been thwarted. At the same time, Russian forces said they were continuing their offensive in the Pokrovsk and near Hnatovka areas.
However, such statements often turn out to be exaggerated, DPA notes.
Before the conflict, Pokrovsk, which is now completely destroyed, had a population of about 60,000. As a major railway junction, the city began to play an important role in supplying Ukrainian troops after Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.