Video captures moment Ukrainian special forces launch Black Hawk raid in effort to halt Russian advance in Pokrovsk
Rare footage shows elite troops deploying amid Russia's push to seize the key front-line city.
Ukraine's military released rare combat footage showing special operations forces launching a raid from a Black Hawk helicopter into the embattled front-line city of Pokrovsk, where some of the war's most intense fighting is unfolding.
The video, published by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), offers a glimpse into how Kyiv is trying to defend the strategically vital city from Russian forces. The use of elite troops suggests a renewed Ukrainian effort to repel Moscow's steady advance.
Rare combat footage from the Timur unit
The HUR said its special Timur unit carried out the operation in Pokrovsk, located in eastern Donetsk. In the footage, a Black Hawk helicopter can be seen landing in open fields before Ukrainian soldiers rush out toward the city. The video also shows airstrikes and drone operations supporting the assault, though it's unclear when the raids took place.
Ukraine's army has an undisclosed number of UH-60 Black Hawks, produced by the American company Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, and it's rare to see them appear in official battlefield videos.
The HUR described the mission as "successful," saying additional Timur troops joined forces that had broken through a ground corridor. It added that "fierce battles" are continuing in the area.
Pokrovsk under relentless Russian assault
Russia has tried for more than a year to capture Pokrovsk, a critical logistics and transport hub that could serve as a staging ground for deeper offensives into Donetsk. Maps from the Institute for the Study of War indicate that Russian troops now control territory on the city's outskirts.
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi described Pokrovsk as the "most difficult sector" of the front line, saying Kyiv faces thousands of Russian soldiers trying to cut off supply routes. He denied claims that the city is fully surrounded, insisting that Ukrainian forces are "doing everything" to keep logistics running.
Special forces intensify operations
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said its Alpha special forces unit has, over the past month, eliminated more than 1,500 Russian soldiers and destroyed dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, and air defense systems near Pokrovsk.
The agency added that Alpha has increased its presence in the city as fighting escalates. "They carry out extremely difficult tasks in the hottest spots and eliminate enemy units with precise strikes," the SBU said.
Pokrovsk is now the focus of one of the war's deadliest urban battles, echoing the destruction seen in Bakhmut and Avdiivka, both of which were eventually reduced to ruins under Russian control.