Ukraine’s general staff denies claims its troops have been encircled but military analysts say situation has deteriorated sharply in recent days
Moscow’s forces appear to be tightening their grip on Pokrovsk, as street fighting continues in the strategic eastern Ukrainian city, much of which now lies in ruins.
Ukraine’s general staff on Wednesday denied Russian claims that its troops had been encircled, saying efforts were under way to reinforce the flanks around Pokrovsk and the nearby town of Myrnohrad.
A day earlier, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visited troops about 12 miles (20km) north of Pokrovsk, thanking them for their service and their defence of the country.
The two sides have issued conflicting accounts of the fighting in and around Pokrovsk, but Ukrainian military analysts have warned in recent days of a sharp deterioration in the situation, with battlefield maps indicating that Russian forces are only a few kilometres away from encircling the remaining Ukrainian troops.
