Russian forces are advancing on the strategically important town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine after capturing a string of villages to the south, and Ukraine has halted production at its only coking coal mine nearby due to the offensive, Reuters reports.
What is Pokrovsk?
Pokrovsk is a road and rail hub in Ukraine's Donetsk region, which had a population of about 60,000 before the war. Although most people have fled, Ukraine estimated last month that 11,000 residents still remained in the town.
It lies on a key route used by the Ukrainian army to supply other eastern front posts, including the towns of Chasov Yar and Konstantinovka in Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s only mine that produces coking coal – used in its once-vast steel industry, vital to the country’s pre-war economy – is just a 20-minute drive west of Pokrovsk, and open-source data suggests Russian forces are less than 2km from one of the mine shafts.
Two industry sources said yesterday that production at the mine had been halted. Its loss could halve Ukraine’s steel output, the steelmakers’ union estimated.
Since 2014 Pokrovsk is home to an important technical university - the largest and oldest in the wider region. Damaged by shelling, its windows are now boarded up.
Why does Russia want Pokrovsk?
Moscow claims to have annexed Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast and sees taking control of Pokrovsk as an important step towards incorporating the entire region into Russia. Kiev and the West reject Russia's territorial claims as illegal and accuse Moscow of waging a war of colonial conquest.
Control of the city, which Russian media have dubbed the "gateway to Donetsk," would allow Moscow to severely disrupt Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front and step up its campaign to seize Chasov Yar, which is on higher ground and would potentially secure control over a wider area.
Squeezing the Ukrainian army's access to the road network in the area would make it harder for Kiev's troops to hold pockets of territory on either side of Pokrovsk, which could allow Russia to advance along the front line.
What is Ukraine doing to defend Pokrovsk?
A Ukrainian military official said last month that Ukraine's military leadership had replaced the commander overseeing defenses in Donetsk region, where Pokrovsk is located.
That commander, General Oleksandr Lutsenko, was criticized by Ukrainian military bloggers and some lawmakers for failing to stop the relentless advance of Russian troops on Pokrovsk. He was replaced by General Oleksandr Tarnavsky.
Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said his troops in and around Pokrovsk had prepared for the approaching Russians, repeatedly strengthening their defensive positions. He spoke of sending in new reserves, ammunition and equipment to bolster the defenders.
Russian forces have taken control of villages and settlements south of Pokrovsk. Ukraine says Moscow has thrown everything it has at it in an attempt to break through, while suffering heavy losses. Moscow, in turn, says Ukrainian forces are suffering heavy losses. Neither side has released a full death toll.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Pokrovsk in November, where he spoke with soldiers defending the city and presented military awards.
What does Pokrovsk look like now?
The blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag still flies over Pokrovsk, but the city is a shadow of its former self - without electricity, gas, heating or water supply.