Pokrovsk: The Frontline Town That Could Change the Russia–Ukraine War

The town’s water supply had been cut by Sept. 12 because of intense fighting in the area, as Russian forces advanced, according to authorities.

Women with children walk to board an evacuation train in Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donetsk region, on Aug. 2, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Roman Pilipey/ AFP via Getty Images

For the past month, Kyiv’s surprise cross-border incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region has dominated news headlines.

Simultaneously, however, Russian forces have accelerated their advance in the east, recently capturing several villages in Donetsk, which, along with Luhansk, make up the Donbas region.