Russian troops are on the verge of capturing Pokrovsk, the main city in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which Russia sees as a strategic target on the way to other major Ukrainian cities: Dnieper and Zaporizhia. Write The Economist.

Pokrovsk, a city of 59,000 people, has been on the front line since Russia began its massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but was not “seriously threatened” until last month, the document said. Ukrainian officials hoped that a sudden move by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation would ease pressure on Donetsk, but the Russian offensive has only accelerated.

Regional police and local authorities have left the city. Two supermarkets have also been closed, with others expected to follow. Local residents lined up in front of branches of banks and pension funds. On August 19, the government called on residents to evacuate, and many responded. The publication described the situation at the train station, “On the platform of the train station, cries could be heard, mixed with the screams of pets that were packed into bags and boxes for the journey to the West (Ukraine).”

Now Russian troops were 10 km from Pokrovsk. UKK commanders had different explanations for the success of the Russian attack. Some pointed to the lack of artillery shells for the UKK, others to the tactics of the Russian army – small infantry attacks, planned bombs, new radio electronic warfare.

The Ukrainian military has not said how long it will take to capture the city. “It could take weeks or months for the Russians to get through nearby cities such as Mirnograd, Seridovo and Ukrainsk, which are currently under attack from drones, artillery and bombers… It seems only a matter of time before Pokrovsk, Mariupol, Bakhmut and Avdeyevka are captured,” The Economist wrote.

“What happens next is an open question. Control of Pokrovsk and moves toward the administrative border of the Donetsk region may be enough for (Russian President) Vladimir Putin to declare a political victory and begin serious negotiations. Or not. Much will depend on whether Ukraine is able to keep the Russian portion it currently occupies as a bargaining chip in future negotiations,” the publication argues.