Russia's Strategic Pursuit of Pokrovsk in the Donbas Conflict

Why is Russia so desperate to capture Pokrovsk? Because that one destroyed city could decide who controls Donbas — and maybe the next phase of the war itself. Pokrovsk sits on a road-and-rail hub that supplies Ukraine’s eastern front. It’s near Ukraine’s only coking-coal mine, once powering its steel industry. Now more than 100 000 Russian troops are closing in —the biggest concentration since Bakhmut.If Moscow takes Pokrovsk, it gains a launchpad toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk — the last two Ukrainian fortresses in Donetsk. Putin wants a victory before winter — and to prove sanctions failed. Capturing Pokrovsk would be Russia’s largest win since Avdiivka 2024,and give him control of nearly 90 % of Donbas. If Pokrovsk falls, Ukraine’s east could crumble. If it holds, Russia’s advance freezes for another year.This isn’t just a city — it’s the gateway to Donbas and the line that could decide Europe’s future. #russia #ukraine #ukrainewar #donbass #pokrovsk #donbas #putin