Ukrainian soldiers gave mixed messages when asked about Russia’s claim of full control over the key eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, with some saying Ukrainian forces were still holding their positions, but others acknowledging the situation was critical.
A Ukrainian commander with a unit fighting in Pokrovsk ruled out full Russian control of the city, telling CNN: “The situation is very difficult, but they are no closer to full control. We are still holding our positions.”
Another soldier stationed in the Pokrovsk region said it was safe to say the situation in the embattled Ukrainian city was “really bad.”
“There are (Ukrainian) positions deep inside the Russian border that are considered locations, but there are no survivors there. As for full control over Pokrovsk, that’s mostly true, the situation is really bad,” the serviceman told CNN.
“Street fighting is already underway in Hryshynye,” a village just north of Pokrovsk, the serviceman said, adding that the situation on the front line is extremely unstable. He also said that a road connecting two other nearby villages – Myrnohrad and Rodinske – remained in place, “but it is vulnerable to fire.”
“Everything is changing very quickly, one moment four Russians occupy a certain position, the next moment we take it back – there are no solid red lines,” he said.
If confirmed, the capture of Pokrovsk would be a significant victory for the Russian army. But the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said its troops were “capturing the northern part of the city” and continuing search-and-assault operations in Pokrovsk. The Armed Forces of Ukraine said: “Glorious statements made by the leadership of the aggressor country about the ‘capture’ of these settlements by the Russian army do not correspond to reality.”
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