24 Hours Inside Pokrovsk As Russia Closes In

After Russian forces first approached the outskirts of Pokrovsk in fall, this proud coal-mining city in Donetsk Oblast became the rock upon which the Russian army dashed itself against. After months of fighting and making advances from both east and west, Russian forces now threaten to cut off Ukraine's logistics routes from the city of Dobropillia in the north.

With US President Donald Trump setting a deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine by early September, Moscow is aiming to make the most of this time by surging forward on the battlefield over the rest of summer. In the Donetsk Oblast theater, Pokrovsk is the first big prize.

In what could be one of the last visits by journalists to the city, the Kyiv Independent spent 24 hours in Pokrovsk, embedded with a first-person view (FPV) drone team of Ukraine’s 68th Jaeger Brigade. 19 July of 2025