Zelensky Engages with Soldiers Amid Intensifying Battle for Pokrovsk

Wed Nov 05 2025 02:00:51 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops near Pokrovsk, a town at the heart of ongoing hostilities between Ukraine and Russia. The visit comes as Russian forces increase their military pressure in the region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited soldiers in the Dobropillya sector, north of Pokrovsk, as intense fighting continues in the crucial frontline town. Zelensky's engagement with troops comes amid claims that Russian forces are applying increasing pressure to capture Pokrovsk, a strategic logistic hub, which has seen over a year of attempts by Moscow's military. As both sides report significant troop movements and heavy fighting, Zelensky emphasized Ukraine's determination to keep control over the region, despite acknowledging the challenges faced by his forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has visited troops near the town of Pokrovsk, where the fiercest front line battle between Russia and Ukraine is currently taking place.

Zelensky posted photos showing him meeting personnel at a command post in the Dobropillya sector, some 20km (12 miles) north of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

Kyiv's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskiy, said on Monday that Ukraine was increasing pressure on the Dobropillya front to force the enemy to disperse its forces and make it impossible to concentrate their main efforts in the Pokrovsk area.

Russia has been trying to seize Pokrovsk - a strategic frontline town and logistic hub - for over a year.

Although it has taken them months to approach the town's borders, Russian soldiers have now infiltrated it and on Friday, Zelensky said Russia had amassed 170,000 troops on its outskirts.

Both Ukraine and Russia continue to issue claims and counterclaims on the situation in and around Pokrovsk. Capturing Pokrovsk could give Moscow access to the rest of Donetsk, including the towns Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Kostyantynivka, and Druzhkivka - the so-called fortress belt.

Despite ongoing battles, Gen. Syrskiy acknowledged his troops were withstanding the pressure of a multi-thousand enemy grouping but denied they were encircled. Reports from Russian military bloggers claimed that 90% of Pokrovsk was under Moscow's control.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) commented that Russian forces are now operating within Pokrovsk with an increasing level of comfort, which has become nearly devoid of civilians and largely destroyed.

Further east, Russian troops are reportedly targeting the town of Myrnohrad, intensifying risks for Ukrainian soldiers. Ongoing drone activity has nearly cut off logistics routes, complicating evacuations and the supply of essential resources.

In maintaining pressure on both sides, Zelensky remarked that a third of all front line clashes are occurring in Pokrovsk, where half of all glide bombs deployed by Russian forces are currently being used.

Despite the grim outlook, Zelensky declared, This is our country, this is our East, and we will certainly do our utmost to keep it Ukrainian. As of now, Russia controls 81% of the Donetsk region, making the situation precarious as winter approaches.

Meanwhile, away from the frontline, Russian forces continue their attacks on Ukrainian cities. A recent drone strike targeted the southern port city of Odesa, resulting in fatalities and infrastructure damage. Ukraine, in retaliation, is conducting targeted drone strikes on Russian industrial sites.