Reuters/Thomas PeterThe town of Pokrovsk plays a vital role as a logistical hub for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbass region. It is home to an important railway station and is at the intersection of several important roads.
Russian troops have been trying to capture the town for months, but their advance accelerated this month and are now believed to be less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) away.
Before the war, Pokrovsk had approximately 69,000 residents, many of whom worked in coal mining, metallurgy and machine building.
Thousands of people have left in recent months as the Russians advance, but now families with children are also being ordered to evacuate. Serhiy Dobriak warned last Monday that civilians would only have a week or two to evacuate.
Ukraine had hoped to divert Russian forces to the east by seizing territory in Russia’s Kursk region, but this did not happen. If anything, Russia’s offensive against Pokrovsk and Toletsk in the northeast has intensified.
“Pokrovsk is a very important hub, a defense center. If we lose Pokrovsk, the entire front line will collapse,” military expert Mikhailo Zhirokhov warned.
Ukraine relies on the town’s rail and road infrastructure to supply and reinforce its troops on its eastern front and to evacuate the wounded.
If Pokrovsk falls to Russian forces, these important military tasks will become more complicated.
It would also increase the risk to other strategically important towns, such as Chasif Yar, which is located on a commanding height and could control a wider area.
“If they cut our logistics, then Chasiv Yar will be doomed,” said analyst Pavlo Narozhny. “It’s only a matter of time before we have to withdraw because we can’t resupply the fighters there.”
Pokrovsk has always played the role of an important railway center, serving the needs of Ukraine’s more industrialized eastern region.
In fact, it developed around a station built at the end of the 19th century.
After occupying Donetsk, the main city of Donbass in 2014, Donetsk became known as the coal mining capital of Ukraine.
Pokrovsk is home to Ukraine’s largest producer of coking coal. It is vital to the metallurgical industry, which plays a key role in the country’s economy.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion two and a half years ago, metals were Ukraine’s main export, accounting for 23% of total goods exports.
As the country’s industries were devastated by the war, the value of their exports has now shrunk to a quarter of their original levels.
Reuters/Thomas PeterA Ukrainian soldier stationed in Pokrovsk told the BBC’s Ukraine Radio podcast that the large number of industrial buildings in neighboring towns such as Pokrovsk and Mirnohrad was very helpful to Ukraine’s defenses.
The soldier named Ostap said: “They will face huge challenges in occupying this area because this is a highly industrialized area with a very important defense line.”
Asked about the potential consequences of the fall of Pokrovsk, he said: “These cities were completely destroyed, many people died and suffered a lot.”
“There will be more cities to follow, so I really hope we can stop them in the suburbs of Mirnohrad and Pokrovsk.”
The capture of Pokrovsk also had symbolic significance.
The Kremlin’s media machine will use it to balance the embarrassment of Ukraine’s occupation of territory in Russia’s Kusk border region.
It would also be an important step towards the full occupation of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which Russia claimed as part of its territory as early as September 2022.
