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Russian forces edge closer to key eastern Ukrainian city as ‘intense’ fighting continues

A woman walks in front of Druzhba hotel destroyed by Russian airstrikes in Pokrovsk (George Ivanchenko/AP)

A woman walks in front of Druzhba hotel destroyed by Russian airstrikes in Pokrovsk (George Ivanchenko/AP)

Illia Novikov

Today at 12:37

Fighting around the key eastern Ukraine city of Pokrovsk is “extremely intense” after a months-long Russian push, Ukraine’s top military commander said, with analysts estimating Russian forces are now within just a few miles of the city.

Ukrainian troops repelled nearly 40 Russian attempts to storm defences around Pokrovsk over the previous 24 hours, the general staff said in a battlefield report on Thursday.

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