Russia Says It Seized Key Eastern Stronghold Pokrovsk; Ukraine Denies Claim

Pokrovsk, a heavily fortified industrial town, has been the site of intense fighting for the past 18 months.
Russia Says It Seized Key Eastern Stronghold Pokrovsk; Ukraine Denies Claim
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a command post of Russia's joint force grouping at an unidentified location, in this still image taken from video released on Dec. 1, 2025. Kremlin/via Reuters
Bill Pan
Bill Pan
Reporter
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian troops have captured Pokrovsk, a heavily contested, strategically important city that Ukrainian forces had held for nearly two years.

The Kremlin announced the purported capture in a transcript published on Dec. 1, which detailed Putin’s being briefed by Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. In his report, dated Nov. 30, Gerasimov said that Russian forces had gained full control of Pokrovsk on the eastern Donbas front as well as Vovchansk on the northeastern frontline.