Clashes near Pokrovsk amid drone strikes

Russian forces have intensified attacks near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, aiming to disrupt supply routes and bypass the city. Meanwhile, both sides reported drone activity, with Ukraine intercepting Russian drones and Russia claiming to have downed Ukrainian ones.

Russian forces continue their attacks near the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, seeking to bypass it from the south and disrupt supply routes to Ukrainian troops, officials in Kyiv reported
Control of this strategic road and rail hub in the eastern Donetsk region could severely impact Ukrainian operations on the eastern front while enabling Russia to strengthen and extend its front line westward.

“The Pokrovsk direction remains the hottest spot. The Russians launched 34 attacks in the past 24 hours, attempting to breach our defenses south of Pokrovsk,” said Viktor Trehubov, spokesman for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces, during a national television broadcast.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted 34 out of 81 drones launched by Russia overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. They noted that 47 drones were "lost," referring to Ukraine's use of electronic warfare to divert the drones from their targets.

Pokrovsk, home to a key mine supplying cooking coal to Ukraine’s steel industry, had a pre-war population of approximately 60,000, with an estimated 11,000 residents remaining. Trehubov said Russian forces are deploying small groups of soldiers to settlements south of the city in an effort to disrupt supply routes.

Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry reported that its air defense systems shot down 10 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, including three over the northern Leningrad region.  
 

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