#eastern-ukraine

#eastern-ukraine

Zelenskyy, in his October 26 nightly video address, said Russia had concentrated large numbers of forces around Pokrovsk and the nearby Myrnohrad community in the long-fought-over area in eastern Ukraine. "It is there, near Pokrovsk, that the Russians have concentrated their main strike force -- a significant number of enemy troops," Zelenskyy said. "Of course, this creates a difficult situation in Pokrovsk and all nearby areas -- fierce battles in the city and on its outskirts. There are enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups in the city."

As Donald Trump prepared to meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August, Russia launched an offensive in eastern Ukraine. Small groups of soldiers pushed forward near Dobropillia and, meeting little resistance, they advanced 15 to 20 km and seized a chain of villages. It is a small pocket of land, but one that has driven perceptions of the war in the last months.