Russia Nears Capture of Pokrovsk: A Costly Symbolic Victory After 21 Months of Fierce Fighting

According to Rokna, citing CNN, Russian forces are reportedly on the verge of capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk — a symbolic victory that President Vladimir Putin has sought for nearly two years, though at an enormous cost in lives and resources.

In recent days, fighting within the city has intensified as Russian troops have breached Ukrainian defenses and entered parts of Pokrovsk. The fall of the city — whose strategic importance has significantly waned but which would still represent Moscow’s biggest gain since 2023 — now appears almost certain, according to reports from the front lines.

Kyiv has denied claims from Moscow that Ukrainian troops in Pokrovsk are fully surrounded, insisting that defensive operations remain underway. However, soldiers stationed inside the city describe an increasingly dire situation. “The situation is extremely difficult — there is heavy urban combat and constant shelling from every direction,” one battalion commander told CNN under condition of anonymity. “We are almost surrounded, but we’re used to that,” he added.

Another Ukrainian soldier said Russian troops continue to advance in large numbers. “Their movement is so intense that our drone units cannot track them all. They move in small groups of three — two are usually destroyed, but one often makes it into the city and establishes a position. There can be a hundred such groups in a single day,” said a member of Ukraine’s Peaky Blinders drone unit.

The suggestion that Russia is prepared to lose two soldiers for every one that breaks through aligns with observations from international analysts, who report extraordinarily high Russian casualties around Pokrovsk — despite the city’s diminished strategic value. The battle, they say, has shifted from a military objective to a symbolic struggle.

“From a battlefield standpoint, it makes little sense,” said George Barros, head of the Russia and Geospatial Intelligence teams at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington. “This has become more about symbolism than strategy.”

Once a crucial logistical hub for Ukraine, Pokrovsk was valued for its road and rail links connecting Donetsk and Kostyantynivka to the east and Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia to the west. But sustained Russian bombardments throughout the summer severed key supply routes, forcing Kyiv to establish alternative lines and diminishing the city’s operational significance. Pokrovsk also hosted Ukraine’s last functioning coking coal mine, which was shut down earlier this year.

“Militarily, there’s little left for Russia to gain from capturing Pokrovsk,” Barros said. “They’ve already achieved their main tactical goals.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated earlier this week that Russia has deployed around 170,000 troops to the region to intensify the offensive. The city, once home to about 60,000 residents, is now largely in ruins, with only around 1,200 civilians remaining. Ukrainian officials say evacuations are currently impossible, though some civilians may be waiting for Russian forces to arrive. The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage it claims shows local evacuations to Russian-controlled areas.

“Politically and symbolically, Pokrovsk holds great importance,” Barros added. “Putin has repeatedly emphasized its capture as proof that Russia’s military success is inevitable.”

The Russian president has made clear his ambition to take full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the southern provinces of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Securing Pokrovsk would allow Russia to redirect its focus toward other key industrial cities in eastern Ukraine that form the backbone of Kyiv’s defensive line.

A soldier from Ukraine’s 129th Brigade stationed near Kostyantynivka told CNN that once Pokrovsk and the nearby town of Myrnohrad fall, Russian forces are expected to push further toward Kostyantynivka and Druzhkivka. He also said his battalion is suffering from personnel shortages and a lack of armored vehicles.

Many Ukrainian troops fear their commanders will delay withdrawal orders, repeating mistakes from Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where late retreats led to devastating losses. “Everyone knows Pokrovsk will fall,” the soldier said. “But there’s been no order to pull out. The longer we wait, the worse it will be. We’ll have to break through under fire, and you can imagine what that will cost us.”