Zelenskyy: Russia has deployed enormous forces to Pokrovsk, but has not achieved results

Russian troops planned to capture Pokrovsk a year ago, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine thwarted these intentions, inflicting significant losses on the enemy.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about this during a meeting with journalists on October 27.

According to the head of state, Russia has concentrated enormous forces in this direction—so large that Ukraine physically cannot match the number of troops. Despite this, the enemy has not achieved the planned results.

"They have deployed such forces to Pokrovsk that Ukraine cannot allocate the same amount to a single direction. One to eight people. Imagine how many forces the ’Russians’ have there. Yet, they have not achieved the planned result. They show maps with Pokrovsk captured, but it’s just a lie," Zelenskyy said.

He noted that the Russians are trying to convince the US that Pokrovsk has been fully captured, but this is not true.

"They show them maps with Pokrovsk already captured, claiming they are in Dnipropetrovsk region, saying they have taken 90% of eastern Ukraine. It’s just a lie," Zelenskyy stated.

The President emphasized that holding Pokrovsk is of strategic importance, as the Kremlin seeks to use the city as a political argument to impose on the world the idea of an allegedly "inevitable" retreat of Ukraine from the east.

"The fact that we are holding Pokrovsk and they keep postponing their campaign plans proves to the world that they are lying and that it is worth continuing to help Ukraine," he stressed.

Zelenskyy also reported that during combat operations in the east, Ukrainian forces captured 2,200 Russian soldiers in the first six months of 2025 alone.

"The entire east—Dobropillya, Pokrovsk—resulted in 2,200 Russian prisoners. Imagine how much they have lost," the President noted.