Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pokrovsk had a population of 60,000. Fighting around the city in Donbass, in the east of the country, has been going on for more than twelve months. The Russians recorded heavy losses and had to develop their tactics until they were finally able to completely surround the Ukrainian forces, most of whom were outnumbered.
To understand the dynamics of this battle, and the consequences of the expected fall of the city, “Le Monde” relied on authentic images of the battle and interviewed Mykola Bielieskov, a researcher at the National Institute for Strategic Studies and analyst for the foundation supporting the Ukrainian army Come Back Alive.
