Zelensky's Visit Amidst Intensified Conflict in Pokrovsk

Sun Nov 30 2025 23:14:12 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits troops near Pokrovsk, where fierce battles against Russian forces are ongoing. The strategic town remains a crucial point in the conflict as Russia attempts to seize control.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited the frontline troops near the embattled town of Pokrovsk, where heavy fighting continues against Russian forces. The region is significant for both sides, and recent reports indicate an increase in Russian troop presence. Zelensky's visit highlights the ongoing commitment of Ukraine to defend the territory despite overwhelming odds. Currently, Pokrovsk is almost entirely emptied of civilians, with both nations claiming control over the town.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has visited troops near the town of Pokrovsk, where the fiercest front line battle between Russia and Ukraine is currently taking place.

Zelensky posted photos showing him meeting personnel at a command post in the Dobropillya sector, some 20km (12 miles) north of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

Kyiv's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskiy, said on Monday that Ukraine was increasing pressure on the Dobropillya front to force the enemy to disperse its forces and make it impossible to concentrate their main efforts in the Pokrovsk area.

Russia has been trying to seize Pokrovsk - a strategic frontline town and logistic hub - for over a year.

Although it has taken them months to approach the town's borders, Russian soldiers have now infiltrated it, and on Friday, Zelensky said Russia had amassed 170,000 troops on its outskirts.

Both Ukraine and Russia continue to issue claims and counter claims on the situation in and around Pokrovsk. Capturing Pokrovsk could give Moscow access to the rest of Donetsk, including the towns Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Kostyantynivka, and Druzhkivka - the so-called fortress belt.

Gen Syrskiy acknowledged his troops were withstanding the pressure of a multi-thousand enemy grouping but denied they were encircled. Meanwhile, Russian military bloggers claimed 90% of Pokrovsk was under Moscow's control.

Unverified videos posted on social media show instances of close quarter combat, drone attacks, and street battles there.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Russian forces were operating with increasing comfort within the town, which once had a population of 60,000 but has now been almost entirely emptied of civilians and largely destroyed.

On Monday, Zelensky said Russia had had no success in Pokrovsk in recent days but acknowledged that things were not easy for Ukrainian forces in the area. He added that a third of all front line clashes were happening in Pokrovsk, and a half of all glide bombs used by the Russians were launched at the town.

Some Ukrainian commentators have criticized the government's efforts to continue to defend Pokrovsk, arguing that troops were being put at risk.

In a post accompanying the pictures of his visit to Dobropillya, Zelensky on Tuesday wrote: This is our country, this is our East, and we will certainly do our utmost to keep it Ukrainian.