Pokrovsk situation 'tense and difficult,' Ukrainian military says.

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Fighting in the direction of the Donetsk Oblast town of Pokrovsk is "tense and difficult," Ukraine's military said on July 24. Russian forces are attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses in the area, and the sector near Pokrovsk in the western part of Donetsk Oblast has become the hottest part of the front. Moscow is expending significant resources to break through toward this key logistics hub, a spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces told the Kyiv Independent earlier on July 24.

In a later post on Telegram, the Khortytsia group of forces said the situation was "tense and difficult" but that Ukrainian forces "continue to courageously hold the defense." "Measures are being taken to drive the enemy out of there. Fighting continues," it added.

Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said earlier this week that Russia continues to push toward it despite suffering heavy losses. Moscow's troops are also reportedly attempting to develop an offensive west of the occupied and deserted cities of Avdiivka and Marinka to make their way toward Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. Russia captured Marinka in December 2023 and Avdiivka two months later after both cities were largely destroyed in heavy battles.

"Russia threw a lot of forces into the capture of the village of Ocheretyne, so they can rush the Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka highway from there" to capture this vital route, Voloshyn said. Over the past day, Russia suffered 329 soldiers killed and wounded and lost 14 units of equipment, including a Su-25 attack aircraft and a tank, according to the spokesperson. Another tank and six artillery pieces were heavily damaged, he added.

The crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState reported that the situation in the Pokrovsk sector has become serious in recent days. According to DeepState, Russia captured Prohres - a village over 23 kilometers (15 miles) east of Pokrovsk - over the weekend and is now attempting to encircle Ukrainian units nearby. The claims could not be independently verified.

Last week, Ukraine confirmed its withdrawal from the village of Urozhaine in the southwestern part of Donetsk Oblast "to preserve the lives and health of our personnel" due to the village's complete destruction by Russian forces.

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