Heavy fighting for Pokrovsk continues

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Lerato Khumalo

Location at a glance

Heavy fighting for Pokrovsk continues

Updated on 01/27/2025 – 04:55 amReading time: 3 minutes

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Heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine. (archive image) (Source: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP/dpa/dpa-bilder)

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Russian troops continue to push against the front lines near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv hopes to be able to avert the impending setback with a change in personnel.

Russian attackers and Ukrainian defenders have once again fought heavy battles in eastern Ukraine. A total of 153 Russian attacks were registered on various sectors of the front during the day, the General Staff in Kiev said in its evening situation report. The focus of the fighting was once again around the small town of Pokrovsk on the edge of the Donbass.

Given the difficult situation, the Ukrainian units fighting for Donbass received a new commander. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj appointed the previous army commander, General Mykhailo Drapatyj, as the new leader of the “Khortitsya” group deployed there. “At the same time, Drapatyj retains command of the land forces, the largest part of our armed forces, which will help combine the army’s combat operations with adequate training of the brigades,” Zelenskyy said in his evening video address.

The previous commander, Andrij Hnatov, was transferred to the general staff. Recently there had been repeated reports from the Pokrovsk region about deserting Ukrainian soldiers, as trust in the military leadership had often been lost in view of the frequent setbacks.

During the day, Russian units around Pokrovsk carried out 70 attacks at various points against the Ukrainian defense lines with artillery support. The attacks were repelled, it was said. The information could not be independently confirmed. According to the Russian representation, the city is already encircled on three sides.

Ukraine War - PokrovskEnlarge the image
Russian troops continue to attack Pokrovsk. (Archive image) (Source: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP/dpa/dpa-bilder)

According to official information, at least one person was killed and four others were seriously injured in Russian artillery attacks. A woman died in Pokrovsk and four people were injured in Konstantinovka when shells hit residential buildings, regional military administrator Vadim Filaschkin said on Telegram.

According to Ukrainian strategy expert Andriy Ryzhenko, on the fronts around the Donbass, the Russian military is continuing its operational actions almost as planned. “Above all, they are interested in Pokrovsk, which is an economic goal,” Ryschenko said on the radio. “It is known that there are several coal mines there.” Therefore, the conquest of the city is important for Russia from an economic point of view.

Kyiv: Warehouse with drone warheads attacked in Russia

According to reports from Kiev, Ukraine attacked a depot with drone warheads on Russian territory using combat drones. After the attack on the building in Oryol in central Russia, a strong secondary explosion was registered, the general staff in Kiev said on Facebook. It was said that around 200 so-called Shahed kamikaze drones were put out of action.

The information from Kyiv could not be independently verified. There was no explanation from the Russian side. Oryol is located almost 350 kilometers southwest of Moscow.

Ukraine War - Drone in UkraineEnlarge the image
Ukraine uses combat threats against targets in Russia. (Archive image) (Source: Efrem Lukatsky/AP/dpa/dpa-bilder)

The Ukrainian armed forces have been attacking military bases, refineries and ammunition depots on Russian territory with missiles and long-range drones for some time in order to make it more difficult to supply the Russian armed forces deployed in Ukraine.

Kyiv recently developed its own long-range drones that can attack targets deep within Russia. The cruise missiles supplied by the West are only used sporadically against targets in Russia due to low stocks. Zelensky expressed satisfaction with the effectiveness of the new drones in the Ukrainian arsenals: “Everyone can see their effectiveness – how our weapons are bringing war back to Russia and how Russia’s war potential is decreasing.”

Russia is sending new drones towards Ukraine

The Russian military again launched larger swarms of drones towards Ukraine on Sunday evening. The groups of unmanned aircraft were spotted by Ukrainian air defense in different regions – in Kherson in the south, in Kharkiv in the east and Poltava in central Ukraine. According to the local military administration, enemy drones were also registered in the Kiev region.