Artillerymen of the 152nd Separate Jaeger Brigade fire an M114 self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

In August last year, Russia appeared to be on the verge of capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk. Moscow’s troops advanced to around 12km from the city limits, and inhabitants hurriedly evacuated.

Estimates varied of how long Pokrovsk could hold out – from a few weeks to a few months – but the city’s fate appeared to be sealed.

Fast-forward 14 months, and Ukrainian forces are still tenaciously clinging to this key logistics hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region – despite Russian claims that the city’s fall is imminent and that thousands of Kyiv’s troops are encircled and soon to be taken prisoner.

The Ukrainians’ hold, however, is looking increasingly tenuous.

Small groups of Russian soldiers have infiltrated the city, and fierce street battles are taking place as the defenders try to track them down and force them out.

Nevertheless, the very fact that Ukrainian troops remain in the city after all this time has frustrated Russia’s plans, Kyiv says.

“We’re holding the city for now. It’s stable chaos in there,” said a Ukrainian major, whose brigade was “stationed in and around the Pokrovsk front”, adding that there were no plans to retreat.

The officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk publicly, said that somewhere between “200-250” Russian forces “had accumulated on the south side” of the city. “The current combat situation is street fighting.”

Ukrainian special forces and assault units had arrived to bolster defences and “clean out” the Russian troops, he added.