Military officials said Russian forces made gains in southern and eastern Ukraine.
On Tuesday, the commander of the Ukrainian military, Oleksandr Syrskyi, admitted that his force’s position had “significantly worsened” in Pokrovsk. Pokrovsk is viewed as critical in the fight for the Donbas. Russia has nearly captured the city after about a year of fighting.
Additionally, Russian forces have nearly encircled the nearby city of Mirnograd. Rather than attempt to raid the cities, Moscow has used pincer tactics to cut the supply lines to Kiev’s forces in urban areas. Some analysts have predicted that if Russia takes Pokrovsk and Mirnograd, it will have a strategic advantage in capturing the remainder of the Dombas.
The Donbas is a region of Ukraine that is predominantly populated by ethnic Russians. Moscow annexed the region and is demanding Kiev cede the entire Donbas to Russia as a condition of ending the war.
Ukrainian forces are also losing territory in the south. Syrskyi confirmed on Wednesday that Russia had taken three villages in Zaporizhzhia. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, its forces have made gains across the front in recent months.
In addition to the fighting along the front lines, Russia and Ukraine continue to launch large salvos of drones and missiles. Kiev reports Moscow’s strikes have killed several people and caused power outages over the past week.
President Donald Trump has authorized sending Ukraine intelligence to hit Russian energy sites far from the front lines. The Ukrainian strikes have caused some disruptions to the energy supply to tens of thousands of Russians.
