Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces say they have cleared Russian troops from key locations in the centre of Pokrovsk in Donetsk oblast, a move they say has stopped Moscow’s forces from consolidating a foothold in the city. The statement was issued on 23 November by the 7th Air Assault Corps.
According to the corps, Ukrainian units have pushed Russian troops out of the areas around the city’s railway station, the Pokrovsk Pedagogical College and Sobornyi Square. All three sites lie in central Pokrovsk, currently described by Ukrainian officials as one of the most contested sectors of the front.
The corps reported that Ukrainian positions remain in the city centre and that small-arms engagements are continuing at close range. Russian troops “are unable to gain a foothold” there, the statement said. Assault groups from the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skala” and other units under the corps’ command are reported to be conducting search-and-strike operations to locate and eliminate Russian groups that enter the area.
Ukrainian commanders also said the clearing of the three locations had disrupted Russian efforts to build up manpower and equipment in central Pokrovsk. Any attempts by Russian forces to move from the southern to the northern part of the city across the railway line are said to result in “maximum losses”, as Ukrainian troops target crossings with artillery, drones and anti-tank weapons. The claims could not be independently verified.
The 7th Air Assault Corps reported that between the beginning of November and 23 November, Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk had killed 388 Russian soldiers and wounded a further 87. These figures, it said, relate only to the fighting in and immediately around the city and do not cover the wider Pokrovsk agglomeration.
Pokrovsk, a pre-war mining and railway hub located roughly 60 kilometres north-west of Donetsk city, has become one of the focal points of Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine. Russian units have conducted repeated assaults on Ukrainian positions in and around the city since early autumn, often using small assault groups backed by artillery and guided aerial bombs. Independent monitoring organisations have noted a gradual Russian advance into southern and central districts in recent weeks, although front-line conditions remain fluid.
Ukrainian officials state that Russian forces currently do not fully control any district of Pokrovsk, despite having entered several neighbourhoods. The 7th Air Assault Corps previously reported that Russian troops were attempting to establish positions in residential areas and industrial zones but were being pushed out by counter-attacks and prevented from holding ground.
Control of the city is viewed by both sides as strategically important. Pokrovsk sits on major road and rail routes connecting Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk oblast with Dnipro and the wider Ukrainian rear. If Russian forces were to secure the city and push further west, they would threaten logistical links supporting Ukrainian troops across a broad stretch of the eastern front. Conversely, Ukrainian retention of the urban area and of the railway line running through it complicates Russian efforts to project forces northwards towards Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
The protracted fighting has taken place in a city where only a small fraction of the pre-war population remains. Ukrainian authorities estimate that about 1,200 civilians are still in Pokrovsk and say evacuation is now extremely difficult because of constant shelling and the proximity of front-line positions. Local officials report that movements in and out of the city often require escort by military or police units, and that many residents who have stayed are elderly or have limited mobility.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly highlighted the role of the Air Assault Forces in holding Pokrovsk, describing the sector as one of the most difficult in the current campaign. Earlier this month he said Ukrainian units in the area had “stopped the enemy” from achieving a rapid breakthrough towards the west, while military spokespeople reported a reduction in Russian activity inside the city as Moscow’s troops awaited reinforcements.
The latest statement from the 7th Air Assault Corps suggests that urban fighting in Pokrovsk is likely to continue, with both sides deploying small groups in house-to-house engagements and relying heavily on drones for reconnaissance and strikes. With neither Ukrainian nor Russian forces able to establish full control over the city, the battle for Pokrovsk appears set to remain a central contest in the wider struggle for eastern Ukraine.
