Pokrovsk Could Become Russia's Second Major Success After Bakhmut

The fierce battles for the key city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region continue, accompanied by contradictory information and assessments of strategic importance. While the Ukrainian side reports local successes, Western experts and media present a more cautious and multi-layered picture of the situation.

The debate surrounding the situation was sparked by a video released by the Ukrainian 425th "Skala" Regiment, which shows soldiers placing the Ukrainian flag in the city center, declaring the area "cleared." However, this information has been questioned by Julian Röpcke, a military analyst for the German publication Bild. He argues that Russian forces never controlled the center of Pokrovsk, so statements about "clearing" it may not correspond to reality.

"The center of Pokrovsk has been and most likely remains under Ukrainian control. The Russians never entered that area for a flag-waving action to be carried out. The Ukrainians have never published videos of them hitting Russians in that area," Röpcke commented.

At the same time, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirm that the fighting in Pokrovsk continues. Citing geolocated footage, they note that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have made advances northeast and southeast of Shakhove, but Russian forces have also achieved local successes, moving forward in the western part of Rodynske, north of Pokrovsk, as well as in the northeastern part of the city.

Against this backdrop, The Wall Street Journal emphasizes the exceptional strategic importance of Pokrovsk. According to the publication, if the city falls, it will be Russia's largest achievement since Bakhmut. Control over Pokrovsk would open a path to the more weakly defended Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The WSJ also suggests that Russia will try to use this potential success to convince President Trump that Ukraine is incapable of stopping Moscow from achieving its maximum objectives.