The Russians have approached Pokrovsk, but the invaders are running out of Soviet weapons.

Ukrainian soldiers have been defending Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region for months, killing thousands of Russian soldiers, but now the enemy has gradually approached the city, and judging by geolocations, the first occupiers have even entered the settlement.

Last year, the Ukrainian army managed to thwart Russian plans to capture the city, although Pokrovsk itself is badly damaged, and almost 60,000 of the city’s population have left. Ukrainian resistance in Pokrovsk and its surroundings has thwarted Russian ambitions to capture the rest of Donetsk region, which is one of Putin’s primary military goals.

Although Pokrovsk’s importance for Ukraine as a military supply center has already disappeared, the fall of the city could free up Russian troops and open the way for further Russian advances in the region. However, the supply of military equipment from Russian stockpiles decreased by more than 25% in 2024, which could mean a significant reduction in the number of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, and other Soviet-style equipment that is available to the Russian military.

According to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, North Korea remains the main foreign supplier of ammunition to the Russian Federation.