Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk; Russia Claims Strike

Ukraine mounted a special operation this week, inserting Defence Intelligence (HUR) airborne assault units into contested parts of Pokrovsk from a Black Hawk helicopter under the oversight of HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov. Video footage seen by multiple outlets appears to show at least 10 soldiers disembarking, though the footage's date and location have not been independently verified. Russia’s defence ministry says it destroyed the Ukrainian landing force, claiming all 11 who disembarked were killed; Kyiv has not independently confirmed those figures. Reporting describes intense fighting, with Russian forces reportedly breaching parts of Pokrovsk’s perimeter and pushing to encircle the city, risking cuts to Ukrainian supply lines. Pokrovsk is a strategic road and rail hub whose capture would facilitate deeper Russian advances into Donetsk, and estimates of Russian force concentrations vary as Ukraine says it is working to stabilize the situation and bolster defences.