Pokrovsk, a city that held back some of Russia’s fiercest assaults for over a year, is now on the verge of falling. Despite Kremlin claims of encirclement, Russian forces have advanced through infiltration tactics, overwhelming infantry pressure, and relentless drone attacks — leaving Ukrainian defenders in an increasingly untenable position. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell explains how the battle reached this point and what Pokrovsk’s fall could mean for the wider defense of Donetsk