What's New
Russian forces have advanced near the city of Pokrovsk, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), whose map shows the situation around the city that is key to Moscow's ambitions of seizing the wider Donetsk region.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
Russian forces are advancing quickly toward Pokrovsk from the east and south and are now less than two miles from the center of the city that had a prewar population of 60,000.
At the crossroads of rail and road links, Pokrovsk is a key delivery and distribution hub for Ukraine's forces across a wide part of the front line and its loss would cause serious logistical problems.
Pokrovsk has been referred to as a "fortress" settlement, key to Ukrainian defenses in the east and connected to other critical defensive cities, like Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka
Its location around 12 miles from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast means that its capture by Moscow could allow Russian troops to move more easily into another region.
What To know
In its update on Wednesday, the ISW said geolocated footage showed Russian advances near the railway line to the south of Pokrovsk, with pro-Moscow military bloggers claiming that half the nearby settlement of Dachenske had been seized.
The Washington, D.C., think tank noted there were conflicting accounts from milbloggers, which included descriptions of Russian advances from the southwest and assaults on Pischane, as well as Ukrainian counterattacks near Shevchenko.
Its latest map shows Russian advances north of Novyi Trud on Wednesday and Novovasylivka the previous day, as well as Ukrainian advances west of Shevchenko on December 15.
The head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration Vadym Filashkin said on Wednesday that Russian forces are just under two miles away from Pokrovsk and authorities had evacuated all children and their families from the city.
Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Khortytsia Operational-Tactical Group of Troops told Ukrainian television Wednesday that Russian troops "are maneuvering through the left and right flanks of the Ukrainian forces to avoid a frontal assault."
On the Pokrovsk axis, Ukrainian brigades were outnumbered four to one, he said, adding, "the enemy is avoiding head-on attacks and is trying to bypass the town," according to Ukrainian outlet Ukrinform.
When asked about the risk of being encircled near Uspenivka, 12 miles southwest of Pokrovsk, he said that Ukrainian forces "are carrying out stabilization measures along the line of engagement."
What They Are Saying
Vadym Filashkin of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration told Ukrainian TV: "The occupiers are about three kilometers from the town. One thousand people were evacuated in a week...now there are no children left in the city of Pokrovsk."
Khortytsia Operational-Tactical Group of Troops said on Telegram: "Units of our troops are taking measures to hold positions, counteract the encirclement and capture of defended settlements and improve the tactical position."
What Happens Next
As Ukraine is suffering from a shortage of troops, Russian forces are expected to continue their push toward Pokrovsk, amid warnings that it is a matter of when, and not if, it will fall.
Stanislav Buniatov, a platoon commander of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion Aidar, posted on Telegram on December 10 that "everyone has already accepted that Russian troops will enter Pokrovsk."
However, it is not clear what this would mean for Russia's further advances in the neighboring oblast.
"The Dnipro region is not built up with villages like Donetsk, so the advance there will be faster," he added.
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