Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that the defence of Pokrovsk is a priority, as elite special forces were deployed to the embattled town on the eastern front line.
Ukrainian army sources told the BBC that special forces from military intelligence and assault groups were being employed as regular infantry to safeguard supply lines for troops holding the town in the Donbas region.
Reports have surfaced about Russian advances around this strategic location near Donetsk. Ukraine has refuted claims of their forces being surrounded.
The Kremlin is pressuring Kyiv to concede the entire Donbas region as part of a potential peace deal, which would include territories it does not currently control.
Approximately a fifth of Ukrainian land is under Russian control, including the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014.
The deployment of special forces indicates a determination from the Kyiv officials to retain Pokrovsk, which has been a target for Russian forces for over a year.
Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, is reportedly on-site to oversee operations in the region.
Pokrovsk is vital for logistics and transport, and its capture could significantly bolster Russian efforts to gain control of the broader Donbas area.
Ukraine believes that the town's fall would also aid Russia in convincing the U.S. that its military strategy is progressing, potentially swaying Western nations toward concessions.
Frustration in Washington regarding stalled peace negotiations with Moscow has increased, leading to sanctions against Russia's top oil producers and the cancellation of a planned summit with President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky expressed openness to discussions about a ceasefire that would stabilize the conflict along current front lines, although Russia demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the remaining Donbas.
In recent statements, Zelensky emphasized: Pokrovsk is our priority. We continue to destroy the occupier, and that is what matters most. They must be halted where they have reached - and destroyed there.
Images from news agencies show a Ukrainian Black Hawk helicopter deploying troops near Pokrovsk, although the validity of these reports remains unverified. The Russian Ministry of Defence claims to have impeded the deployment of Ukrainian special forces and asserts that all the soldiers involved were killed.
According to a military source in Donetsk, while Ukrainian forces are engaged in combat around the railway station and the industrial sector, they have not been physically encircled but are facing operational constraints on their logistics due to Russian fire.
The Institute for the Study of War noted recent marginal advancements by Ukrainian forces north of Pokrovsk, noting the area as a contested grey zone.
