Analysts say enemy units are detected and taking losses across nearly the entire town, but they remain on the offensive, fortifying occupied areas. Russian troops have established staging areas for equipment and personnel and are setting up logistics to push deeper into Pokrovsk.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have struck concentrations of enemy troops and carried out urban clearance operations, aided by UAVs.
According to DeepState, fierce fighting for control of key supply routes is underway between Pokrovsk and the nearby town of Hryshyne. Analysts warn that the situation on the southern outskirts is critical. They say Russian troops have already entrenched defensive positions and partially control the terrain, complicating Ukrainian efforts to block further advances.
DeepState also cautions that Myrnohrad, to the north of Pokrovsk, is effectively cut off from external supply lines. If the trend continues, the city could become encircled, preventing Ukraine from holding it.
On Oct. 31, several media outlets reported on a special operation by Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR) in Pokrovsk. According to public broadcaster Suspilne, reconnaissance assault teams entered districts of Pokrovsk that Russian generals had declared "captured." The Economist journalist Oliver Carroll published a video purportedly showing the operation's start.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation on the Pokrovsk front remains challenging, but there is no encirclement of Ukrainian Defense Forces units there.
Earlier on Nov. 4, HUR published a video of the ongoing operation in Pokrovsk.