'Kill zone' around crucial Ukrainian city as Russian forces try to squeeze defenders out

Ukraine's defence of the crucial city of Pokrovsk, which has held out for more than a year despite fierce Russian assaults, could be coming to an end as invading forces squeeze the resistance out.

Elsewhere, Ukraine's troops are facing attacks along the frontline, with Moscow reportedly using a pipeline to move personnel in the northeast near Kupyansk as it seeks to create even more pressure on Kyiv's stretched resources.

It comes after Volodymyr Zelenskyy used an exclusive interview with Sky News to call on Donald Trump to take a "clear position" on a sanctions package for Russia and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Sky News has a look at what has been happening at some key parts of the frontline.

'Kill zone' around Pokrovsk

Ukrainian forces have been engaged in a bitter struggle to hold the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk for more than a year, with Russian troops at times attempting to encircle the defenders there.

The situation there is worsening, says Dr Marina Miron, an expert at the defence studies department at King's College London.

She cited reports that Russian forces are controlling all supply routes and have "created a kill zone" using drones, making it very difficult for Ukraine to resupply its troops there.

A road and rail node, Pokrovsk had a pre-war population of around 60,000 people. It's viewed by Russia as "the gateway to Donetsk".

Capturing it would severely hamper Ukrainian supply lines and endanger crucial cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

"It will take time because what the Russians are trying to do essentially is to squeeze the Ukrainians out," Dr Miron told Sky News.

"They don't want to storm the city as it's too difficult and too manpower intensive - assuming a lot of losses." Instead, they are trying to surround it completely, she added.

This reflects a "changed approach", Dr Miron says, with the Russian military appearing to favour slower encirclement operations rather than the high-casualty assault waves with which places like Bakhmut were captured.

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Battles in the northeast

Meanwhile, Russian forces have advanced near Kupyansk in northeast Ukraine, not far from the fortress city of Kharkiv, the Institute for the Study of War thinktank reported on Monday.

Like other targets along the Ukrainian frontline, Kupyansk is a key transport and logistics hub, being the location at which several major rail lines converge.

"It seems like they are pretty close," Dr Miron said, discussing the positions of Russian forces around Kupyansk.

Earlier this week, Ukraine's military said Russia had moved personnel to the area via a pipeline, but said the exit from the pipe is under control of Ukrainian defenders.

"A counter-sabotage operation is underway in the city, and search and strike operations are underway around the city," the Kyiv's General Staff said on Telegram on Saturday.

Kupyansk, which was recaptured by Ukrainian troops in their counteroffensive in autumn 2022, has been largely destroyed in the course of the war and continues to face attacks.

Dr Miron said it's likely that the push towards Kupyansk is part of an effort by Moscow to retake some of those lost territories, or perhaps an effort to seize land that it can then use as a bargaining chip in any future negotiations.

(c) Sky News 2025: 'Kill zone' around crucial Ukrainian city as Russian forces try to squeeze defenders out