Russia is closing in on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a strategic hub that Ukrainian forces have defended for more than a year under heavy bombardment. Military analysts say that if the city falls, Moscow would move significantly closer to capturing Ukraine's last major strongholds in the Donetsk region.

Pokrovsk has long been viewed by Ukrainian commanders as the hinge point for what happens next in eastern Ukraine. For months, Russian forces have attempted to pound the city into submission, using glide bombs, massed infantry assaults and suicide drones to chip away at its defenses.

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This week, new battlefield footage offered the clearest indication yet that Russian units have pushed

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