Russian Troops Still Siege Ukraine's Military At Pokrovsk

JAKARTA - Russian troops have tightened the siege of Ukrainian troops in the city of Pokrovsk, the transportation and logistics center they have been trying to seize for more than a year.

With fighting raging on the streets of the destroyed city, the Russian Defense Ministry said its troops had cleared 35 buildings of Ukrainian troops.

As reported by Reuters, Russian forces are also putting pressure on the trapped Ukrainian troops near the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv's territory.

Meanwhile, Ukraine denies its troops are under siege in both locations.

DeepState, which maps the frontline based on verified open source imagery, on Tuesday, November 4 showed Russian troops had advanced further into Pokrovsk and its surroundings, although most of its territory was still gray, out of tight control of both sides.

Pokrovsk has a population of about 60,000 people before the war, but most civilians have long been displaced. The seizure of the region could give Moscow the basis for moving towards Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the two largest cities remaining in the Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk region and wants Russia to take full of it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admits Pokrovsk is under heavy pressure, but his military says Russian forces do not fully control any districts.

Russian military blog Rybar said Moscow's control over the city was gradually expanding, but "the overall cleaning of the city is still far away".