After months of heavy battles, Russia claims capture of Pokrovsk in Eastern Ukraine
If confirmed, the city's fall would give Moscow a new staging point to push toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Russia says its forces have taken full control of Pokrovsk, a former Ukrainian logistics hub in the Donetsk region, after months of heavy fighting.
President Vladimir Putin called the advance an "important" step during a briefing with military commanders, saying it would support wider objectives in the nearly four-year campaign.
Pokrovsk (known by its Soviet-era name Krasnoarmeysk) has been under intense assault since mid-2024.
Russian state media published footage of troops raising a flag in the damaged city, though Ukraine has not acknowledged losing control.
If confirmed...
If confirmed, the city's fall would give Moscow a new staging point to push toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the two largest Ukrainian-held cities in Donetsk.
Analysts in Russia say the move could also strengthen Moscow's position ahead of renewed diplomatic talks.
Russian commanders told Putin that "clean-up operations" continue around Pokrovsk and nearby Myrnohrad, where they claim Ukrainian troops are encircled.
They also said Russian forces are advancing along multiple sectors of the frontline, including Vovchansk in Kharkiv, a claim Ukraine has not confirmed.