6 months ago
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Russia said connected Wednesday (November 5, 2025) that Ukrainian troops successful the battered cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk were encircled and should surrender, arsenic they had nary accidental of endurance otherwise.
Russia has been trying to seizure Pokrovsk, dubbed "the gateway to Donetsk", since 2024 arsenic portion of an effort to instrumentality the entirety of the Donbas region, of which Ukrainian forces inactive power astir 10%, oregon 5,000 quadrate km (1,930 quadrate miles).
In a interruption with the frontal assaults which Russian forces utilized against different cities, Russia has utilized pincer movements to astir encircle Ukrainian forces successful some Pokrovsk and Kupiansk portion tiny highly-mobile units and drones disrupted logistics and sowed chaos down Ukrainian lines.
Russia's tactics successful some locations created what Russian subject bloggers called a grey portion of ambiguity wherever neither broadside had afloat control, but which was highly hard for Ukraine to defend.
Battlefield maps amusement that Russian forces are a fewer kilometres distant from afloat encircling Pokrovsk, known by Russia arsenic Krasnoarmeysk, and power a important portion of Kupiansk and are advancing connected the main roadworthy to the city.
Russia's defence ministry straight contradicted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's connection connected Monday that Ukrainian forces were trying to wide what helium had said were conscionable 60 Russian soldiers successful Kupiansk.
It said Ukrainian units were trapped successful what it formed arsenic "cauldrons" and that their presumption was deteriorating rapidly portion Russian forces advanced, "leaving nary accidental for Ukrainian servicemen to prevention themselves different than by voluntary surrender."
Nearly 4 years into the deadliest warfare successful Europe since World War Two, Russia is trying to instrumentality the full of Donbas and advancing successful the Kharkiv and Dnipopetrovsk regions of eastbound Ukraine.
Russia's subject says it present controls much than 19% of Ukraine, oregon immoderate 116,000 quadrate km (44,800 quadrate miles). Pro-Ukrainian maps bespeak that Russia has taken much than 3,400 quadrate km of Ukrainian territory truthful acold this year.
