A look back at the fight for embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

On June 11, 2022, civilians began to flee fighting in Ukraine's Donbas and boarded a train in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region.

Women, children and the elderly, some in wheelchairs, were seen boarding the train and settling in the sleeper carriages ahead of a long journey to safety. Volunteers helped get people on board the train bound for Lviv in the west of the country near the border with Poland.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (FILE - JUNE 11, 2022) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. PEOPLE WALKING TOWARDS TRAIN

2. WOMAN ON PLATFORM WAVING TO PEOPLE IN TRAIN

On June 15, 2022, Pokrovsk residents were seen picking through rubble and debris from damaged buildings following overnight Russian shelling.

Workers wearing helmets and flak jackets dug through a large crater in the town, inspecting metal fragments.

One resident said he had been sleeping when explosions hit the Ukrainian-held town.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (FILE - JUNE 15, 2022) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. TWO PEOPLE STANDING NEXT TO DAMAGED CAR IN FRONT OF DAMAGED BUILDINGS

4. UNNAMED MAN LOOKING AT DAMAGED BUILDING

A Russian missile attack on a town in Ukraine's Donetsk region injured at least two civilians on June 21, 2023.

A Reuters correspondent in Pokrovsk heard a whistling noise that sounded like a rocket engine, followed by a powerful explosion that shook walls.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (FILE - JUNE 21, 2023) (REUTERS - Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

5. RESIDENT WALKING THROUGH DAMAGED HOUSE

6. BLOOD ON DEBRIS

7. BROKEN GLASS ON CAR

8. INJURED PEOPLE IN AMBULANCE SAYING THEIR NAMES, TALKING ON THE PHONE, AMBULANCE DOOR BEING SHUT

Russian missiles struck Pokrovsk twice on the night of August 7, 2023, killing eight people, including five civilians, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a statement.

The second missile hit the Ukraine-controlled town near the frontline 40 minutes after the first, the governor said. It killed and injured first responders, witnesses of the strikes told a Reuters cameraman at the scene.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (FILE - AUGUST 8, 2023) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

9. VARIOUS OF DRONE FOOTAGE OF RESCUERS WORKING AT SEVERELY DAMAGED BUILDINGS

Donetsk region police said on February 28, 2024, that Russia attacked the eastern city of Pokrovsk with four missiles. No casualties were reported.

Police released video showing the Donetsk National Technical University had been destroyed while police officers worked on site, looking for missile debris and documenting the destruction.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (FILE - RELEASED FEBRUARY 28, 2024) (DONETSK REGION POLICE - Must on-screen courtesy 'Donetsk Region Police')

10. VARIOUS OF DRONE VIDEO OF DESTROYED DONETSK NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, DESTROYED ROOF AND CLOUD OF WHITE SMOKE RISING

Video posted on social media on September 12, 2024, showed a heavily damaged bridge in Pokrovsk, which local officials say was hit by a Russian attack overnight.

The location was verified by colours on the bridge, street lamps, position of train tracks and characteristics of nearby buildings, which matched satellite and file imagery.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (FILE - SEPTEMBER 12, 2024) (SOCIAL MEDIA - No resale) (ORIGINALLY FILMED IN PORTRAIT)

11. VIEW FROM MOVING VEHICLE OF HEAVILY DAMAGED BRIDGE CONNECTING POKROVSK WITH MYRNOHRAD AND FURTHER WITH DNIPROPETROVSK REGION / AUDIO OF PEOPLE TRAVELLING IN VEHICLE TALKING USING PROFANE LANGUAGE AND SAYING THE BRIDGE WAS HIT

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (FILE - NOVEMBER 18, 2024) (UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE - Access all) (MUTE)

12. SIGN AT ENTRANCE TO POKROVSK, READING (Ukrainian): "POKROVSK"

13. DRIVING SHOT OF POKROVSK RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, PARTIALLY DESTROYED

14. SOLDIERS

By May 2025, a police report said 1,915 people remained in the city, once home to a coking coal mine and some 60,000 people.

Ukrainian police continued to evacuate some of the remaining civilians from the besieged frontline city.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (FILE - MAY 21, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

15. VARIOUS OF DRIVING SHOTS SHOWING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE

The Russian Defence Ministry released a video on August 29, 2025, purporting to show what they say is the capture of another settlement on the edge of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

The claim came days after Russia said it took two other villages near the town of Pokrovsk.

The video showed multiple bombs exploding and ravaged infrastructure, as well as individuals holding Russian flags.

Reuters could not independently verify the claims.

NEAR POKROVSK, UKRAINE (FILE - RELEASED AUGUST 29, 2025) (RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY - Must on-screen courtesy Russian Defence Ministry) (MUTE)

16. VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF LAND WITH DESTROYED INFRASTRUCTURE / INDIVIDUALS HOLDING RUSSIAN FLAG

On a visit to meet war veterans in hospital, Putin said Russia was in a strong military position ot take Kupiansk and Krasnoarmiisk (ed: Russian name for Pokrovsk).

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (OCTOBER 29, 2025) (RUSSIAN POOL - Access all)

17. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN ARRIVING TO MILITARY HOSPITAL AND BEING GREETED BY RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEI BELOUSOV AND HEAD DOCTOR

18. VETERANS LISTENING

19. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING:

"The overall situation in the "special military operation" zone is developing favorably for us. Your comrades are advancing and actively operating in all areas. In two places, as you know, we have already publicly stated this - in Kupiansk and Krasnoarmiisk (ed: Russian name for Pokrovsk) - the enemy has been blocked and surrounded."

A video also released on October 31 and shared with Reuters by a Ukrainian military source was said to show a helicopter and troops deployed in the eastern city of Pokrovsk.

Reuters could not independently confirm the location or date when the video was filmed.

Ukraine landed special forces in embattled parts of the eastern city of Pokrovsk earlier this week just as Russia claimed it had surrounded Kyiv's forces in the area, two Ukrainian military sources said on Oct 31.

The special forces landed in a Black Hawk helicopter a few days ago, a source in the 7th Rapid Response Corps said.

The operation was overseen by Ukrainian military spy chief Kyrylo Budanov, the other source said.

GIVEN AS POKROVSK, UKRAINE (RELEASED OCTOBER 31, 2025) (VIDEO SHARED BY UKRAINIAN MILITARY SOURCE - Access all) (MUTE)

20. FOOTAGE CONTROLLED BY A CURSOR DISPLAYING A HELICOPTER AND TROOPS DEPLOYED IN POKROVSK

Drone footage captured by a Ukrainian military drone and released in recent days showed widespread destruction in the embattled city of Pokrovsk.

Reuters was able to confirm the location of the videos as Pokrovsk from the buildings, the road layout and the football pitch, which matched satellite imagery of the area.

The date when the videos were recorded could not be verified independently.

POKROVSK, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 2, 2025) (No resale / no archive/ Must credit 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade 'Oleksa Dovbush') (MUTE)

21. MILITARY DRONE SHOT OF DAMAGED RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

22. MILITARY DRONE SHOT OF DAMAGED BUILDING

23. MILITARY DRONE SHOT OF POKROVSK AND SKYLINE

A video released by the Russian Defence Ministry on November 3 purports to show the Ukrainian village of Rodynske being targeted by Russian airstrikes.

Reuters was able to confirm the location of the video as Rodynske from the buildings, the road layout and the smoke stack, which matched satellite imagery from the area.

The date when the video was recorded could not be verified independently.

RODYNSKE, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY - Must not obscure logo) (MUTE)

24. AERIAL VIDEO OF BUILDINGS BEING STRUCK, EXPLOSIONS, SMOKE RISING

Ukrainian police said it evacuated civilians from Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region on November 3 as Russian forces intensified attacks on the eastern frontline.

KOSTIANTYNIVKA, UKRAINE (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

25. POLICE OFFICERS WALKING TOWARDS HOUSE OF PEOPLE WANTING TO EVACUATE

26. POLICE OFFICERS ARRIVING AT HOUSE, SAYING (Russian): "Hello, we're here to evacuate three people. Is that correct, are you ready?" / LOCAL RESIDENT (NO NAME GIVEN) SAYING (Russian): "We're ready." / POLICE OFFICER ASKING (Russian): "And there are three of you, right?" / LOCAL RESIDENT SAYING (Russian): "Yes, three."

27. LOCAL RESIDENT SAYING (Russian): "I've got four bags." / POLICE OFFICER SAYING (Russian): "Four bags, ok. Does everyone have documents?" / LOCAL RESIDENT SAYING (Russian): "Yes." / POLICE OFFICERS SAYING (Russian): "Please bring your bags outside, on the street." / LOCAL RESIDENT SAYING (Russian): "What about mother?" / POLICE OFFICER ASKING (Russian): "Is your mother bed-ridden?" / LOCAL RESIDENT SAYING (Russian): "She can walk a bit." / POLICE OFFICER SAYING (Russian): "Show us."

28. LOCAL RESIDENT AND ELDERLY WOMAN ON COUCH, LOCAL RESIDENT TELLING OFFICERS THAT SHE WON'T TAKE HER DOGS AS NEIGHBOURS WILL TAKE CARE OF THEM

29. POLICE OFFICER AND OF 'WHITE ANGLE' EVACUATION UNIT, HENNADIY YUDIN, 48 YEARS OLD STANDING

30. ELDERLY WOMAN / LOCAL RESIDENT SAYING THEY'RE NOT HEATING THE BUILDING / ELDERLY WOMAN SAYING (Russian): "Thank you, boys."

31. TRAVELLING SHOT OF POLICE OFFICERS

32. TRAVELLING SHOT OF DESTROYED CAR, DAMAGED ANTI-DRONE NETTING, PERSON RIDING BICYCLE

33. TRAVELLING SHOT OF DESTROYED GAS STATION, DESTROYED ARMOURED VEHICLE

KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

34. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) POLICE OFFICER AND OF 'WHITE ANGLE' EVACUATION UNIT, HENNADIY YUDIN, 48 YEARS OLD, SAYING:

"We cannot get into Pokrovsk anymore. We ask people to leave on foot to the nearest villages, which is where we can pick them up. To drive into the city with a car means you're the number-one target for the enemy, they all the time hit logistics, routes, cars and vehicles."

KOSTIANTYNIVKA, UKRAINE (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

35. TRAVELLING SHOT, DESTROYED CAR ON ROAD / AUDIO OF DRONE DETECTOR

36. EVACUEE BOARDING VEHICLE

37. LOCAL RESIDENT (NO NAME GIVEN) CROSSING EVACUEE, SAYING (Russian):

"I love you, everything will be alright. Goodbye!"

38. EVACUEES INSIDE VEHICLE

39. TRAVELLING SHOT OF POLICE INSIDE VEHICLE

The Ukrainian military released on November 4 video it says shows fighting in Pokrovsk.

Reuters was able to confirm the location of the video from the position and shape of the buildings, windows and roads which matched satellite imagery of the area. Reuters was not able to independently verify the date the video was filmed.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 4, 2025) (Ministry of Defense of Ukraine - No archive / No resales / Must courtesy Ministry of Defense of Ukraine) (MUTE)

40. VARIOUS OF AERIAL FOOTAGE OF DESTROYED BUILDINGS

GIVEN AS POKROVSK, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 4, 2025) (Ministry of Defense of Ukraine - No archive / No resales / Must courtesy Ministry of Defense of Ukraine) (MUTE)

41. COMMANDERS NEAR DISPLAYS IN COMMAND POST (VIDEO BLURRED AT SOURCE)

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 4, 2025) (Ministry of Defense of Ukraine - No archive / No resales / Must courtesy Ministry of Defense of Ukraine) (MUTE)

42. DRONES HITTING BUILDING

43. EXPLOSION

44. VARIOUS OF FPV DRONE FLYING

45. VARIOUS OF EXPLOSIONS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on November 4 he had visited troops fighting near the eastern city of Dobropillia.

GIVEN AS DOBROPILLIA AREA, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 4, 2025) (UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE - Access all)

46. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, ADDRESSING TROOPS, SAYING (Ukrainian): "I have the honour of being here today and to award you, our dear warriors."

GIVEN AS DOBROPILLIA AREA, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 4, 2025) (UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE - Access all) (MUTE)

47. ZELENSKIY AWARDING SERVICE PERSONNEL

48. ZELENSKIY SPEAKING

49. SERVICE PERSONNEL PUTTING FISTS ON THEIR CHESTS

50. COMMANDER OF THE 1ST CORPS OF THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL GUARD 'AZOV', DENYS PROKOPENKO (BACKGROUND BLURRED AT SOURCE)

51. COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE UKRAINIAN ARMY, OLEKSANDR SYRSKYI, AND ZELENSKIY

52. HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE OF UKRAINE, ANDRIY YERMAK

53. VARIOUS OF ZELENSKIY AND SYRSKYI LOOKING AT BOARD

54. SERVICE MEMBER TALKING

55. ZELENSKIY, PROKOPENKO, YERMAK AND OTHERS SEATED

56. PROKOPENKO

57. SYRSKYI

58. SERVICE MEMBER

59. DEPUTY HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE OF UKRAINE, PAVLO PALISA

60. 'AZOV' CORPS FLAG

Ukraine released on November 4 and November 5 videos showing its forces operating in besieged Pokrovsk.

Reuters was able to confirm the location from the buildings, road and railway position, which matched satellite imagery of the area.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 4, 2025) (7TH RAPID RESPONSE CORPS - Must on-screen courtesy 7th Rapid Response Corps) (ORIGINALLY FILMED IN PORTRAIT)

61. VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS WALKING AFTER REMOTE-CONTROLLED VEHICLE PAST DESTROYED CARS / CRATERS / AUDIO OF EXPLOSIONS

62. SOLDIERS WALKING / PERSON OFF-CAMERA SAYING (Ukrainian): "And this is how we leave."

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 5, 2025) (425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia" - No Resale / Must not obscure logo / Must on screen courtesy 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia") (MUTE)

63. DRONE SHOTS OF POKROVSK

64. VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF DESTROYED BUILDINGS AND EXPLOSIONS

65. VARIOUS BLACK AND WHITE DRONE SHOTS SHOWING SOLDIERS MOVING TOWARD CITY COUNCIL (MARKED WITH UKRAINIAN FLAG ANIMATIONS AT SOURCE)

66. VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF SOLDIER INSTALLING UKRAINIAN FLAG AT CITY HALL

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelenskiy said Moscow's assault on the eastern city of Pokrovsk was aimed at demonstrating battlefield success to U.S. President Donald Trump.

KYIV, UKRAINE (NOVEMBER 7, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

67. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, SITTING AT TABLE

68. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, SAYING:

“It is very important for Russia to do everything to really capture Pokrovsk. In any format. To show success on the battlefield. Whether it is going to be Vovchansk, or something else. They need to show success. Then they will be able to return, try to return the narrative: ‘We told you that we will capture Donbas.’”

Russia's Defence Ministry said on November 9 that Russian forces had captured the settlement of Rybne in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.

Reuters could not verify battlefield reports.

However, Reuters was able to confirm the location as Rybne in parts of the video (0:05-0:13 and 0:52-1:01) by the buildings, river, terrain and road layout which matched satellite imagery.

The location in other parts of the video and the date when the video was filmed could not be independently verified.

GIVEN AS RYBNE, ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 9, 2025) (RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY - Must not obscure logo)

69. TROOPS HOLDING RUSSIAN FLAG

RYBNE, ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 9, 2025) (RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY - Must not obscure logo)

70. VARIOUS OF AERIAL VIEWS / WHITE SMOKE RISING FROM RURAL HOUSES

GIVEN AS RYBNE, ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 9, 2025) (RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY - Must not obscure logo)

71. BOMB EXPLODING NEAR RURAL HOUSE

72. DRONE VIEW OF DEVICE APPROACHING WINDOW OF DESTROYED HOUSE, ENTERING INSIDE

73. BOMB EXPLODING NEAR RURAL HOUSE, WHITE SMOKE RISING

74. FIRE BURNING AND BOMB EXPLODING, WHITE AND BLACK SMOKE RISING

75. VARIOUS OF DRONE NIGHT VISION APPROACHING TARGET, FIRE BURNING

Drone footage obtained by Reuters and released on November 11 showed war-damaged buildings in Ukraine's Pokrovsk as Russia said it pushed deeper into the city.

Reuters was able to confirm the location of the video from the position and shape of the buildings, roads and bodies of water which matched satellite imagery of the area.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the date the video was filmed.

Moscow says taking Pokrovsk, dubbed "the gateway to Donetsk" by Russian media, would give it a platform to drive north towards the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in the Donetsk region - Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Ukraine's military said about 300 Russian soldiers were now inside embattled Pokrovsk and that Moscow had intensified efforts to get more troops in over the past few days.

POKROVSK, UKRAINE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 11, 2025) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS - Access all)

(MUTE)

76. VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF DAMAGED AND DESTROYED BUILDINGS IN POKROVSK