Russia urges surrounded Ukrainian troops in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk to surrender
Moscow claims forces are encircled with no chance of survival.
Russia said on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops trapped in the embattled cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk should surrender, claiming they are fully surrounded and have "no chance of survival."
Moscow has been attempting to seize Pokrovsk, known as "the gateway to Donetsk," since 2024 as part of its broader campaign to capture the entire Donbas region. Ukrainian forces still control around 10% of the area, roughly 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles).
Encirclement tactics and shifting front lines
In contrast to previous frontal assaults, Russia has used pincer movements to encircle Ukrainian positions in both cities. Small, mobile units and drone strikes have targeted logistics routes, creating what Russian military bloggers call a "grey zone", areas where neither side has full control but which are increasingly difficult for Ukraine to defend.
Battlefield maps indicate that Russian forces are only a few kilometers away from completing the encirclement of Pokrovsk (known in Russia as Krasnoarmeysk) and already hold a significant part of Kupiansk, advancing along the main road to the city.
Russia's defence ministry dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent claim that only 60 Russian soldiers were present in Kupiansk, asserting instead that Ukrainian units are trapped in "cauldrons" with no escape except voluntary surrender.
Russia expands control across eastern Ukraine
Nearly four years into the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two, Russia continues its offensive to seize all of Donbas while advancing in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
According to Moscow, Russian forces now control over 19% of Ukraine, about 116,000 square kilometers (44,800 square miles). Pro-Ukrainian sources, meanwhile, estimate that Russia has captured more than 3,400 square kilometers of territory so far this year.
