Important city in eastern Ukraine in Russian sights

The city of Pokrovsk plays a crucial role as a logistics center for the Ukrainian armed forces in the eastern region of Donbass. It is home to an important railway station and is located at the intersection of several important roads.

Russian forces have been trying to take the city for months, but this month their advance accelerated and they are now believed to be less than 10 km away.

Before the war, about 69,000 people lived in Pokrovrsk, many of whom were employed in coal mining, metallurgy and mechanical engineering.

Thousands have left the country in recent months as the Russians advanced, but now families with children have also been ordered to evacuate. Civilians have only a week or two left to flee, Serhiy Dobriak warned last Monday.

Ukraine had hoped that by capturing areas in the Russian region of Kursk it would be able to divert Russian troops from their advance to the east. But that did not happen. The Russian offensive on Pokrovsk and Toretsk further to the northeast was even intensified.

“Pokrovsk is a very important hub, a center of defense. If we lose Pokrovsk, the entire front line will collapse,” warned military expert Mykhaylo Zhyrokhov.

Ukraine relies on the city’s rail and road infrastructure to supply supplies and reinforcements to its troops on the eastern front and to evacuate the wounded.

The loss of Pokrovsk to Russian forces would mean that these vital military tasks would become far more complicated.

This would also increase the danger for other strategically important cities, such as Chasiv Yar, which is located on dominant heights and from there has control over the wider area.

“If they interrupt our logistics, Chasiv Yar is doomed,” says analyst Pavlo Narozhny. “It’s a matter of time before we have to withdraw because we can no longer supply our fighters there.”

Pokrovsk has always played the role of an important railway junction serving the needs of the heavily industrialized east of Ukraine.

In fact, it grew up around a railway station that was built in the late 19th century.

It became known as the coal mining capital of Ukraine after the capture of Donetsk, the most important city in the Donbass (the abbreviation stands for “Donetsk Coal Basin”) in 2014.

Pokrovsk is home to Ukraine’s largest coking coal producer. The city is of crucial importance for metallurgy, which in turn plays a key role in the country’s economy.

Before Russia’s large-scale invasion two and a half years ago, metals were Ukraine’s main export product, accounting for 23 percent of total merchandise exports.

Their export value has now shrunk to a quarter of that value because the country’s industry was severely damaged by the war.

A Ukrainian soldier stationed in Pokrovsk told the BBC’s Ukrainecast podcast that the numerous industrial buildings in Pokrovsk and neighboring towns such as Myrnohrad are very helpful for Ukraine’s defense.

“Conquering this area will be a big challenge for them because it is a heavily industrialized region with fairly strong defense lines,” said the soldier nicknamed Ostap.

When asked about the possible consequences of the fall of Pokrovsk, he said: “The cities will be completely destroyed, many people will die and there will be much suffering.”

“After that, more cities will follow, so I really hope we can stop them on the outskirts of Myrnohrad and Pokrovsk.”

The capture of Pokrovsk would also have a symbolic significance.

The Kremlin’s media machine would use this to offset the embarrassment of Ukraine’s territorial capture in the Russian border region around Kusk.

This would also be a significant step towards the complete occupation of the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, which Russia had already declared its territory in September 2022.