Thick fog has enabled Russian troops to move further into the key strategic city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's 7th Airborne Assault Corps says weather conditions, particularly dense fog, have prompted Moscow to intensify its bid to get increasing numbers into the ruined city and encircle Ukrainian forces.
Russian forces have spent more than a year trying to seize the city, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the fog has favored Russian attacks and the situation remains difficult. Meanwhile, army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has warned the situation on the front line in the southeastern Zaporzhzhia region has significantly worsened, with the loss of three settlements.
Syrskyi said however that Russia was most active around Pokrovsk. A viral video has shown Russian soldiers openly driving through a hazy road on civilian cars and motorbikes. The BBC has verified the location where the video was filmed as the southern outskirts of the town on the Selidove-Pokrovsk highway.
For several days fog obscured visibility for aerial reconnaissance, prompting Russian forces to launch assaults using a column of vehicles that would typically not survive Ukrainian drone attacks. The 7th Corps claims that there are now 300 Russian soldiers in Pokrovsk, suggesting that their numbers have likely increased since earlier reports.
Experts warn that the city's fall could be imminent, as most areas are currently in a contested zone. The offensive aims to create a "cauldron" effect, where Russian troops would encircle Ukrainian forces, cutting off their supply routes and overwhelming them. Tactics such as infiltration using disguises heighten the chaos in urban warfare, complicating defense efforts.
Military analysts emphasize the urgent need for Ukrainian defenses to adapt to these evolving tactics as battles rage across multiple fronts, including Kupyansk and Zaporzhzhya.
