Russia claims tighter encirclement of Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk
Meanwhile, Ukraine denies troops are surrounded as fighting intensifies in the east.
Russia said on Tuesday that its troops are tightening the encirclement of Ukrainian forces in the key eastern city of Pokrovsk, a logistics hub they have been trying to seize for more than a year.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported that 35 buildings had been cleared of Ukrainian soldiers amid fierce street battles. It also claimed progress near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, where Russian troops said they were pressuring surrounded Ukrainian units.
Ukraine denies that its forces are encircled
According to DeepState, a Ukrainian mapping project using verified open-source data, Russian forces have advanced deeper into Pokrovsk and nearby areas, though much of the territory remains contested.
Before the war, Pokrovsk had around 60,000 residents, most of whom have since fled. A Russian takeover would give Moscow a strategic platform to advance toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, two major cities still under Ukrainian control in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged on Monday that Pokrovsk was under severe pressure, but said Russian troops had not gained full control of any district. Meanwhile, Russian military blogger Rybar wrote that Moscow's grip on the city was expanding, though "a complete clearing of the city is still far off."
