Ukrainian artillerymen get into a car after a combat mission near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region earlier this month. Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters Kyiv, Ukraine —

Fighting for control of the strategic hub of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine is intensifying, with the Russian Defense Ministry claiming to have eliminated a group of Ukrainian special forces sent to help defend the area.

In recent weeks, Russian units have begun penetrating Pokrovsk itself and have closed in on the last resupply routes used to sustain Ukrainian forces in the town.

The Ukrainian special forces had landed in a helicopter on the northwestern outskirts of Pokrovsk, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Drone footage shared by an unofficial Russian Telegram channel showed Ukrainian soldie

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