Ukrainians raise flag in Pokrovsk to show BBC the fight goes on in city claimed by Russia

Pokrovsk has not fallen yet. This is despite President Vladimir Putin’s recent claim that Russian forces have captured the city.

There is no doubt that Ukraine is losing ground in this important eastern city. For Russia, Pokrovsk is another step towards its goal of gaining control of the entire Donbas. But Ukraine still needs to prove that it is capable of resisting.

At the Ukrainian command post, well behind the front line, orders are transmitted quickly and quickly by radio. Soldiers watch dozens of live drone feeds. They coordinate attacks on Russian positions within the city.

Skala Assault Regiment commander Yuri wants to prove to us that the Kremlin’s claim that it took Pokrovsk is a lie and that Ukraine still controls the north of the city.

Over the radio, they ask two of their soldiers to hide in a building to hang the Ukrainian flag. They move quickly to avoid being noticed. The drone feed shows the moment they briefly waved their yellow and blue flags before quickly returning to take cover.

Yuri said to me: “Now you have seen it with your own eyes.”

“I think the whole world needs to know that we will not give up our land,” he says. “If we don’t show this, everyone will lose faith and stop helping Ukraine.”

The war in Pokrovsk, once an important logistics center for the Ukrainian army, has been going on for about 18 months. The city is already in ruins.

The question now is: How much longer can Ukraine last?

Those following Russia’s advance argue that Ukrainian forces are barely able to control the city.

Russian forces are slowly advancing from the south. Ukraine is losing territory but says it still holds the north, as far as the railway line that divides the city.

Battalion commander Sasha, 25, shows me a map. On top of it, he placed green plastic soldiers to represent areas still defended by Ukrainian troops. Brown plastic soldiers show where their enemies are advancing.

The Russians use small teams of two to four soldiers, sometimes disguised as civilians, to sneak past Ukrainian positions.

“It’s a good tactic to get behind enemy lines and gain a foothold,” says Sasha. But he adds: “The enemy that gets behind us is quickly identified; 15 to 20 minutes pass between detection and destruction.”

Russia has suffered heavy losses but still has more soldiers. A Ukrainian soldier with the call sign Rabbit shows me passports and documents from his dead. I asked him if he thought they killed a lot of Russians.

“Not enough,” he replies.

Rabbit described the situation as “difficult but under control.” He shows me a Russian machine gun captured by one of his comrades who fought for 70 days in Pokrovsk. “All he wanted was cigarettes and ammunition,” Rabbit says.

The fighting is clearly taking a toll on Ukrainian forces, but there is no sign they will give up. Rabbit also disagrees with any suggestions that Ukraine should give up more territory for peace.

There has already been too much bloodshed, he says: “We are part of this land. If we give it up, Russia will want more.”

Another soldier with the callsign “Ghost” fighting in another unit in Pokrovsk describes the situation as “tense but not critical.” He dismisses reports of his capture as “Russian propaganda” and says that “reports of the siege of Pokrovsk are fake information”, but adds that “everyone is exhausted, both Russia and Ukraine”.

Holding ground also appears to be costly for Ukraine. Skala Regiment shares the latest videos shot by its troops on the front line, who often have to shelter from Russian drones in buildings. The buzz of an approaching drone is often accompanied by heavy automatic fire as you attempt to shoot it down.

“Khotabych”, who recently spent a month fighting in the city, says it’s scary when drones spot you: “There are a lot of them, and they fly at all hours of the day.”

The Russians have more drones with thermal imaging cameras that can see at night. Khotabych said he and his men always hoped for “good weather,” by which he meant fog, rain and gray skies. In other words, anything that makes flying difficult.

In Pokrovsk, Ukrainian soldiers are focused on the conflict, not the peace talks. Most say they want to avoid “political questions.”

But a volunteer from Latvia (deputy commander of the Skala Regiment) is more willing to give an opinion. He said Latvians “understand that if Ukraine loses the war, our country will be next.”

His call sign is “Father” and he has a harsh message for Europe and the USA. He describes President Donald Trump as a “charismatic and strong leader” but says that if Trump’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff “sides with Putin, it will make America and Trump look weak.”

As for Europe, “we talk too much, there’s a lot of bureaucracy, but not enough jobs,” he says.

The message from the troops we spoke to is that the situation in Pokrovsk is not so bleak. But Ukraine needs proof of its resolve at this critical time.

Additional reporting by Mariana Matveichuk and Kyla Herrmannsen.