President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is facing a “very difficult” situation in the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces are attempting to seize control after months of intense fighting.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Zelensky said decisions about any troop withdrawals from the area are being left to military commanders on the ground.
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“Nobody is pushing them to die for the sake of ruins,” he said.
“I will support our soldiers, especially commanders who are there, how they can control the situation. Or it’s too costly for us – the most important for us is our soldiers,” Zelensky added.
The president said Russia is seeking a symbolic victory in Pokrovsk to bolster its position ahead of possible negotiations and to convince US President Donald Trump that Ukraine should withdraw from the entire Donbas region, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk.
He said Ukraine could not abandon eastern territories, as the public would not understand such a move, and warned that Moscow would likely continue its advance if it captured more towns.
“And the main thing is that nobody will guarantee you that if they seize this or that town, they won’t move further. There is no deterrent factor,” Zelensky told Bloomberg.
He added that Moscow was now focusing on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to force Kyiv into concessions before spring, believing that once energy leverage disappeared, Russia would lose one of its last remaining tools of pressure.
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The Ukrainian 7th Airborne Assault Corps said that recent weather conditions – particularly dense fog – have prompted the Kremlin to intensify its offensive around Pokrovsk.
A video that went viral on social media showed Russian soldiers driving unhindered into the city in the fog, using civilian cars and motorbikes. BBC Ukraine confirmed the video’s location as the southern outskirts of Pokrovsk, along the Selidove-Pokrovsk highway.
For several days, the heavy fog has made aerial reconnaissance nearly impossible, according to a soldier with the call sign “Gus” from the 68th Brigade’s “Shershni Dovbusha” unmanned systems unit.
He said the Russians even “dared” to launch an assault with an armored column that Ukrainian drones would normally have destroyed immediately.
Gus added that his unit also took part in repelling the attack shown in the viral video, which was reportedly filmed on Sunday, Nov. 9.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrainian forces attempted to strike the column, but the fog made it difficult to do so effectively.
The column was partially destroyed, the soldier said, but due to limited visibility, there was no video confirmation, and it remains unclear whether the entire group was eliminated.
On Nov. 12, Ukrainska Pravda reported that Russian forces have been moving into Pokrovsk – using motorcycles, pickup trucks, and other light equipment – and deploying mortars in the city since at least Nov. 6.
Three Ukrainian servicemen told the outlet that the weather has given Russian troops a tactical advantage. The thick fog over Pokrovsk prevents Ukrainian drone reconnaissance, while Russian forces have brought mortars into the city and are shelling the positions of Ukrainian UAV operators, making surveillance nearly impossible.
“The enemy is building on its success,” one soldier said. “No special forces will be able to restore order anymore because there are so many of them. Up to 50 [Russian soldiers] are moving through the main road from Selidove to Pokrovsk every day.”
Another soldier was even more blunt, saying, “Everyone has finally admitted that Pokrovsk is lost, and stopped saying s**t. The Russians have already dragged mortars into Pokrovsk and will now use them to destroy the drone operators’ positions. At the same time, they’re trying to push into Rivne (a village between Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad) and keep attempting to enter Myrnohrad.”
The military added that Russian forces often take heavy losses when moving in large columns, but smaller groups have had more success in advancing.
Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed that Russian forces are likely to complete the encirclement (“pocket”) around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
According to ISW, Russian milbloggers are running a coordinated information campaign, prematurely claiming the fall of Pokrovsk – likely to shape perceptions of the battle.
One pro-Kremlin milblogger claimed that most of Myrnohrad is now a “gray zone,” while Russian forces have allegedly established “firm control” over most of Pokrovsk, taking advantage of the thick fog.
Based on verified video evidence, ISW estimates that Russian forces currently occupy about 46% of Pokrovsk and 10% of Myrnohrad.
ISW analysts said that geolocated footage from Nov. 12 shows Russian troops recently advancing into the northern part of Pokrovsk.
That same day, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Oleksandr Syrsky, visited the Pokrovsk area, calling it the main focus of Russia’s current offensive.
He confirmed that fighting continues on the outskirts and within the city itself, but stressed that Pokrovsk remains under Ukrainian control and that “there is no question of encircling the Ukrainian defenders.”
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