Fierce fighting for Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine

"Three Russian armies are concentrated here against us," regional commander Viktor Trehubov was quoted as saying by the Unian agency. "The fighting here is very fierce, as the Russian occupiers are throwing all available forces forward and trying to break through the defenses of our troops," he said. The attempted pincer attacks on Pokrovsk had inflicted heavy losses on the Russian attackers. On the previous day alone, 133 Russian soldiers had been killed. This information could not be independently verified.

The Russian military is trying to advance as close as possible to the outskirts of Pokrovsk and break through the left and right flanks of the defenders. "As fighting in the city itself is very unpleasant, the enemy is trying to force fighting on the outskirts in order to force the Ukrainian forces to retreat and avoid a frontal attack," Trehubov said, describing the situation.