Russian forces are urgently redeploying reinforcements to the Pokrovsk sector amid a severe shortage of reserves, according to intelligence from the Atesh resistance movement.

Atesh reports that military convoys carrying personnel and equipment are moving daily toward Pokrovsk, with troops likely being withdrawn from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia directions to fill the gap.

According to the group’s agents, both Russia’s main combat units and operational reserves have been exhausted, forcing Moscow to weaken other parts of the front.

“Agents from Russia’s 506th Motor Rifle Regiment report that hundreds of new soldiers arrive at their location daily and are immediately sent into assault operations — often without proper registration in their units,” Atesh wrote on Telegram.

The movement’s assessment indicates that the Kremlin is pushing to capture Pokrovsk at any cost, despite heavy losses in manpower and equipment.

Pokrovsk — a key logistical hub in Ukraine’s Donetsk region — has become one of the most fiercely contested areas of the front, with Russia attempting to exploit thin Ukrainian lines after months of attritional fighting.

Over the past week, Ukrainian forces killed more than 236 Russian soldiers and wounded 136, while destroying one tank, three armored fighting vehicles, and 23 other vehicles, including trucks and motorcycles.

Russian attacks are intensifying, with 132 assaults last week alone – nearly 20% more than the previous week.

Ukrainian troops have blocked enemy attempts to fortify high-rise buildings, denying Russians strategic vantage points and enabling other units to clear the city of enemy forces.

Fighting is fiercest in northern Pokrovsk, particularly around industrial zones. Ukrainian forces control key access routes, limiting Russian reinforcements.

Meanwhile, Moscow is trying to concentrate attacks elsewhere in the city and on the western outskirts to push toward Hryshyne, northwest of Pokrovsk.

Zelensky: Russia using Pokrovsk assault to pressure the West

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Friday, Nov. 7, that Moscow’s push for Pokrovsk is not only about battlefield gains but also about shaping a political message aimed at Ukraine’s Western partners.

Speaking at a briefing in Kyiv attended by Kyiv Post, Zelensky said Russia is trying to “promote the narrative that they can allegedly take Donbas” and use it to pressure the West into forcing Ukraine to surrender the region.

He said Russia’s assault is designed to influence sanctions policy and undermine international support for Kyiv.

“Russia is very afraid of strong US decisions, and with this story about Pokrovsk they want to show success on the battlefield,” Zelensky said.

The president said Ukrainian forces repelled 220 Russian assaults on Pokrovsk in just three days and that Moscow’s top priority now is to capture the city “as quickly as possible.”