Russia and Ukraine says their forces are locked in fierce fighting in the ruins of Pokrovsk

FILE PHOTO: Members of the White Angel unit of Ukrainian police officers who evacuate people from the frontline towns and villages, check an area for residents, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Wednesday that its forces were advancing north inside Pokrovsk in a drive to take full control of the Ukrainian city, but the Ukrainian army said its units were battling hard to try to stop the Russians from gaining new ground.

Ukraine has acknowledged that its troops face a difficult position in the strategic eastern city, once an important transport and logistics hub for the Ukrainian army, which Russia has been trying to capture for more than a year.