JAKARTA - Russia says Ukrainian troops in the devastated cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk are surrounded and must surrender. Otherwise, Ukrainian forces are said to be unable to survive.
Russia has been trying to seize Pokrovsk, dubbed the "gate to Donetsk", since 2024 as part of an attempt to seize the entire Donbas region, which is still controlled by Ukrainian forces around 10%, or 5,000 square km (1,930 square miles).
In contrast to the frontal attacks used by Russian troops against other cities, Russia has used clamped motions to nearly surround Ukrainian troops in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk.
Small, very dynamic units and drones disrupt logistics and cause chaos behind the Ukrainian line.
Russia's tactics at both locations created what Russian military bloggers called a gray zone of ambiguity where both sides had no complete control, but it was very difficult for Ukraine to defend it.
The battlefield map shows Russian troops are several kilometers from the full siege of Pokrovsk, known by Russia as Krasnoarmeysk, and controls most of Kupiansk and moves forward on the main road to the city.
As reported by Reuters on Wednesday, November 5, the Russian Ministry of Defense directly denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement that Ukrainian troops were trying to clean up only 60 Russian troops in Kupiansk.
The ministry said Ukrainian units were caught in what it described as "real" and their position deteriorated rapidly while Russian forces continued to advance, "there is no chance for Ukrainian soldiers to save themselves other than by voluntarily surrendering."
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Nearly four years into Europe's deadliest war since World War Two, Russia has been trying to capture the entire Donbas and continue to advance in Kharkiv and Dnipoposke regions of eastern Ukraine.
The Russian military says it now controls more than 19% of Ukraine, or about 116,000 square km (44,800 square miles).
The pro-Ukraine map shows Russia has seized more than 3,400 square km of Ukrainian territory so far this year.
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