Ukrainians Declare Victory in Battle of Pokrovsk

Russia’s months-long push to seize the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk has amounted to a “failure,” according to the head of a Ukrainian think tank, after brutal fighting and only minimal gains by Russian forces around the area.

Why It Matters Moscow has long viewed Pokrovsk as a strategic prize, but instead of launching a direct assault, Russian forces opted to move south of the town, pushing toward the border with Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.

Pokrovsk, a critical logistics center, has been at the heart of some of the fiercest combat over the past year. Often described as a “fortress” town, it links to key Ukrainian defensive strongholds across the east.

What To Know “We’re seeing a coordinated Russian disinformation push to mask the reality — that they’ve lost the battle for Pokrovsk,” Serhii Kuzan of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation said in an interview with Ukrainian broadcaster Radio NV.

Though Russian troops have made small advances near the town, Pokrovsk remains firmly under Ukrainian control.

Ukraine claims that Russia’s troop losses in the area are significantly higher than its own — a figure Newsweek couldn’t independently verify. Still, Russia’s known strategy of wave-style assaults, sacrificing large numbers of troops, adds weight to the claim.

Pokrovsk A Ukrainian soldier walks past wrecked buildings in the center of Pokrovsk, which has seen some of the bloodiest fighting in the Donetsk region.

Kuzan credited Ukraine’s success to a well-executed defensive plan that disrupted Russia’s timeline and forced Moscow to abandon broader offensive ambitions for the summer.

“We’ve thrown off their schedule — and timing is everything for their summer campaign,” Kuzan said. “They can’t break through Donetsk Oblast because we held the line at Pokrovsk.”

Kyiv has warned that Russia is mobilizing reserves for another major push. Ukrainian officials also say Russia began a concentrated assault in two sectors of northeastern Ukraine earlier this month.

Last August, Ukraine said it had carried out a cross-border raid into Russia’s Kursk region in part to divert Moscow’s attention and resources away from Donetsk towns like Pokrovsk.

This week, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported Russian progress along a rail line near Shevchenko, just south of Pokrovsk.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s military said it had repelled 75 Russian attacks around Pokrovsk over the previous 24 hours, including near Shevchenko.

Later that day, Ukraine’s top military commander, General Oleksandr Syrsky, said Russia had “sharply intensified” assaults near Pokrovsk in an attempt to reach the Dnipropetrovsk region, even as it announced a ceasefire scheduled for May.

“Russian commanders are tossing fresh troops into battle daily, forcing them into suicide missions, then declaring imaginary victories,” Syrsky said.

The Kremlin announced a ceasefire from May 8 to May 11 in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II — what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War. Moscow has repeatedly justified its invasion of Ukraine by claiming it aims to “de-Nazify” the country, a narrative widely dismissed by the international community.

Russia said the ceasefire applies to all military operations during those three days and called on Ukraine to reciprocate. Ukrainian officials, however, expressed deep skepticism.

On Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces had taken a village in northern Donetsk, though this could not be independently verified.

What People Are Saying Russia stated: “As a result of active offensive operations, forces of the Western military group liberated the settlement of Novoye in the Donetsk People's Republic.”

Meanwhile, Syrsky responded: “Despite public declarations of a ceasefire during the May holidays, the invaders have ramped up their attacks, concentrating most of their firepower on the Pokrovsk axis.”

What Happens Next It remains unclear whether Russia’s failure to seize Pokrovsk will derail its rumored summer offensive — which reportedly includes plans to deploy troops on motorcycles to help evade Ukrainian drone strikes.