Several groups of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) special forces landed in the eastern city of Pokrovsk earlier this week in a daring operation overseen by chief Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s defense forces confirmed to the Kyiv Post.

The troops arrived by Black Hawk helicopter and targeted areas that Russia claims to hold.

“Yes, a landing operation took place. Several groups using US-made Black Hawk helicopters landed and entered districts Russia claimed to control,” a source in Ukraine’s defense forces said.

The mission aimed to stabilize the front line and restore vital supply lines cut off by Russian advance, the source said, confirming reports first published by Reuters on Friday about a Ukrainian special forces landing in the city.

“The key goal of the operation was to reopen critical logistics routes supplying Ukrainian units.”

A by Economist correspondent Oliver Carroll appears to show at least 10 Ukrainian soldiers exiting a helicopter. Both Carroll and Reuters said they could not independently verify the date or location of the footage.

Pokrovsk is a key road and rail hub in Donetsk, and Russian control of the city could allow Moscow to advance further into eastern Ukraine. Russian forces have been slowly pushing toward the city for more than a year.

New. Hearing Ukraine's military intelligence is conducting a daring counter-offensive near Pokrovsk to reopen key logistics lines. Videos shared with me purport to show a heli drop in areas Russia claims to hold. *Have not been able to verify vids independently.

— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) October 31, 2025

On Saturday morning, Russia’s defense ministry claimed its forces had “stopped an attempt by Ukraine’s military intelligence special forces to land” near Pokrovsk and said all 11 soldiers who arrived by helicopter had been “destroyed.”

Sources within HUR told the Kyiv Post that Russian claims of the special forces being wiped out and the city being encircled were false.

“Gerasimov [the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces] is lying – just as he did a few days ago when he told Putin that Pokrovsk was surrounded,” the  intelligence source said.

Kyiv says at least 200 Russian troops have penetrated the city’s defenses. Ukraine’s army chief acknowledged Thursday that the situation in Pokrovsk is “difficult,” noting that supply lines and defensive positions needed reinforcement.

Open-source mapping group DeepState estimates that roughly half of the city remains contested.

Kyiv Post reported earlier this week that Russian infantry had infiltrated into Pokrovsk, sparking street battles and threatening to surround Ukrainian forces.

At least 200 Russian soldiers armed with automatic rifles, machine guns and rockets were reportedly moving through the city’s southern districts, at times ambushing Ukrainian troops who still control central and northern areas.

The information was confirmed by Ukrainian officers speaking to national media and by military and civilian sources monitored by Kyiv Post.

The infiltrating Russian troops are reportedly on foot and without vehicles, having walked up to 15 kilometers (9 miles) through thinly manned Ukrainian lines to reach the city’s southern industrial zone, where they set up positions in buildings.

Sources in Pokrovsk told Kyiv Post that firefights, artillery strikes, and drone overflights were continuing on Wednesday, along with reports of a Russian airstrike hitting a bridge near the city’s rail station.