The Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk is the scene of fierce fighting, and the situation there is chaotic. According to Russian sources, an operation by a Ukrainian special forces unit has failed. Meanwhile, Ukraine reports an attack on a Russian pipeline.
Ukraine is reportedly attempting to halt the fall of the besieged eastern city of Pokrovsk by deploying special forces behind Russian lines. A commando unit was allegedly dropped by helicopter and tasked with securing supply lines to Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. This was reported by Ukrainian media, citing sources within the military intelligence service HUR. Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov is reportedly on the front lines himself, commanding the operation, according to the radio station Suspilne.
The Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow confirmed the Ukrainian attack in its situation report. However, it stated that the operation had been thwarted."All eleven people who were dropped from the helicopter were killed," it said. This was denied by sources at the HUR in Kyiv. The government in Moscow also announced that its troops had surrounded Ukrainian units in the city.
The government in Moscow also announced that its troops had surrounded Ukrainian units in the city. According to the Ukrainian military, the situation remains"difficult and dynamic." They have increased the number of attack troops in the area.
The eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk has been the site of fierce fighting for months. Pokrovsk is considered crucial to Russia's goal of completely capturing the Donetsk region. Located in the industrial Donbas region, Pokrovsk had approximately 60,000 inhabitants before the war. The city is now heavily damaged.
Ukraine reports shelling of a Russian pipeline
Russia and Ukraine have once again targeted each other's energy infrastructure. The Ukrainian military announced that it had shelled a key pipeline in the Moscow region. The Koltsevoy pipeline, which supplies the Russian military, was hit, the Ukrainian military intelligence service stated on Telegram. The attack, carried out on Friday evening, represents a"serious blow" to Russia's military logistics. The pipeline had a capacity of up to three million tons of kerosene, 2.8 million tons of diesel, and 1.6 million tons of gasoline annually, the intelligence service explained."Our attacks have had a greater impact than sanctions," said intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.
A Russian attack triggered a fire at a gas facility in the central Ukrainian region of Poltava early Saturday morning, according to emergency services. Russian troops have intensified their attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent months. The state-owned energy company Naftogaz reports that the gas infrastructure has been attacked at least eight times since October.
In southern Ukraine, a civilian was killed in a Russian attack on Saturday morning, according to authorities. Fifteen people, including a child, were also injured in the Mykolaiv region, said local official Vitaliy Kim. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched a total of 223 drones at Ukraine overnight, of which 206 were shot down.
Russia announced that it shot down 98 Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight into Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that eleven drones were destroyed over the Moscow region alone. Six of these were heading towards the Russian capital. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
