Russia claims encirclement of Ukrainian troops in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, urges surrender

Russia announced on Wednesday, 5 November that Ukrainian troops stationed in the embattled cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk had been encircled, urging them to surrender as “there is no chance of survival otherwise.”

According to the Russian Defence Ministry, its forces have made significant advances in both eastern cities through coordinated pincer movements rather than frontal assaults.

The Hindu reported that these tactics, combined with the deployment of mobile units and drones, have disrupted Ukrainian logistics and created what Russian military bloggers describe as a “grey zone”, areas where neither side holds full control, but which remain extremely difficult for Ukraine to defend.

Pokrovsk, referred to by Russia as Krasnoarmeysk, has long been viewed as the gateway to Donetsk. Moscow has sought to seize it since 2024 as part of its wider goal to take full control of the Donbas region, of which Ukrainian forces still hold roughly 10 per cent, or around 5,000 square kilometres.

Battlefield assessments indicate that Russian forces are now just a few kilometres away from completing the encirclement of Pokrovsk, while they already control a substantial part of Kupiansk and are advancing along the main access route to the city.

The Russian Defence Ministry contradicted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent remarks that Kyiv’s troops were clearing out what he claimed were about 60 Russian soldiers in Kupiansk. Moscow instead asserted that Ukrainian units are trapped in what it called “cauldrons,” with their situation worsening rapidly as Russian troops advance.

“Ukrainian servicemen have no chance to save themselves other than through voluntary surrender,” the ministry said.

Nearly four years into the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War, Russia continues its push to gain full control of the Donbas and expand its foothold in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Russian officials claim that the country’s forces now hold more than 19 per cent of Ukraine’s territory, approximately 116,000 square kilometres, while pro-Ukrainian sources estimate that Russia has captured over 3,400 square kilometres so far this year.

With Agency Inputs