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Russian forces are close to capturing the strategically important city of Pokrovsk, located in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, prompting many residents to evacuate out of fear that the city will fall to the Russians in the coming weeks.
In this article you can learn the key things about this city and the battle going on for it.
The importance of Pokrovsk
Pokrovsku is a road, a railway center and a town, which before the start of the war had 60,000 inhabitants. Tens of thousands of residents are still in the city, although many more have been evacuated.
This town is located on a key route used by the Ukrainian military to supply military posts in Ukrainian-controlled areas, such as the town of Chasiv Yar and Kostintinivka in the Donetsk region.
A coal mine, which is Ukraine's largest producer of coal used in the steel industry and was vital to the pre-war economy.
Since 2014, when Ukraine lost control of the regional capital – the city of Donetsk – Pokrovsk has been host to an important technical university, which is the largest and oldest in the region.
Why does Russia want Pokrovsk?
Moscow has said it has annexed the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, a claim that Kiev calls illegal. Moscow sees taking control of Pokrovsk as an important step towards incorporating the entire region into Russia.
Control of the city, which Russian media has dubbed the "gateway to Donetsk," would allow Moscow to cut off Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front and bolster its campaign to take the town of Chasiv Yar, which is in a higher ground that would potentially give him control of a wider area.
If the Ukrainian military is restricted from accessing the road network that runs near the city, that would make it more difficult for Kiev's troops to hold onto swathes of territory on either side of Pokrovsk. Such a thing would allow Russia to consolidate and advance on the front line.
What is Ukraine doing to protect Pokrovsky?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has warned that the situation near Pokrovsk is "difficult", said on August 26 that after being notified by the army chief, Ukraine has decided to "further strengthen" its forces in the sector of Pokrovsk.
He said this sector was facing the worst wave of Russian attacks, but predicted that Russia would have to sacrifice tens of thousands of troops to achieve its goals.
The area around Pokrovsk is home to several industrial buildings that are likely to be used by the Ukrainian military to defend the city, although Russia is likely to use destructive cruise bombs against them.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are trying to extend their control over the territory they have taken in Russia's western Kursk region after launching a surprise offensive on August 6. One of the stated goals of this offensive is said to be to force Russia to withdraw its forces from the eastern front to relieve pressure on places like Pokrovsk.
But Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on August 27 that Moscow understood Kiev's intent and continued to focus its efforts on Pokrovsk, where he said Russia's most capable military units are located.
Syrskyi said that Ukrainian forces are working on defensive positions in this area.
What does Pokrovsku look like now?
The Ukrainian flag continues to fly in Pokrovsk and some residents continue to evacuate westward via trains and vehicles, while others try to live in the country and are reluctant to leave.
During an August 23 visit to Pokrovsk, reporters saw many buildings with shuttered windows, while the Donetsk National Technical University had its entrance covered in debris and missile shrapnel following a Russian missile attack earlier this year.
Other buildings also had broken windows and the facades of some others were severely damaged. Intermittent shelling could be heard in the distance, pensioners were seen selling vegetables on the street, as grocery store shelves were being emptied, due to close due to advancing Russian troops.
Vadym Filashkin, the governor of Donetsk, said on August 19 that nearly 4,000 children were among the 53,000 people still living in the Pokrovsk area. He ordered the evacuation of children from Pokrovsk and the surrounding area the same day.
In this city, residents have said that they have not had electricity and water supply for a long time./REL
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