6,000 Ukrainian Troops at Risk of Encirclement Near Pokrovsk

As many as 6,000 Ukrainian troops could be facing encirclement by Russian forces near Pokrovsk (formerly Krasnoarmiysk) in the Donetsk People's Republic, according to a report from Mash. The area is becoming a potential kill zone as Russian formations close in from multiple directions. Russian motorized rifle brigades have launched a strong push north of the city, while at least three additional brigades are striking from the southwest near the village of Peschanoe. Ukrainian forces are being forced to redeploy troops from the Dnipropetrovsk region to bolster the weakening defenses in the Donbas. Heavy fighting is ongoing in the settlement of Novoeconomichne, where three Ukrainian temporary deployment centers and over a dozen pieces of equipment were reportedly destroyed in the past 24 hours. It marks the second time in recent days that Russian forces have successfully established a firetrap to encircle AFU units.