On Monday (01/12/2025), Russia announced the seizure of Pokrovsk, a key logistics node in eastern Ukraine, and the town of Vovchansk in the northeast.
Pokrovsk is considered a strategic location, as it is located at the crossroads of several roads and railway lines leading to the last strongholds of Ukrainian forces on the eastern front.
Russia’s claim increases pressure on Ukraine amid negotiations on a plan to end the conflict promoted by the United States.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.
The Kremlin stated on Telegram that “Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed Vladimir Putin of the liberation of the cities of Krasnoarmeysk (the Russian name for Pokrovsk) and Vovchansk.”
Complexity of supplies of Ukrainian troops
The Kremlin indicated that this report was sent to the Russian President on Sunday evening, but was published today, Monday.
The Russian Ministry of Defense published pictures that it said showed Russian soldiers raising the flag in the square in central Pokrovsk.
The battle for Pokrovsk has been going on for months. In September, hundreds of Russian soldiers managed to infiltrate the town, overwhelming the Ukrainian defences.
The capture of Pokrovsk complicates the supply of Ukrainian forces at other points on the front and also opens the possibility for Russia to advance to the west, where Ukrainian defenses are more prevalent, and to the north, where the cities of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk are located.
mg (AFP, AP)