Still, morale may be Ukraine’s only hope in Pokrovsk as Russian forces zero in on the town. Russian forces are only 8 kilometers (5 miles) away, according to a map dated September 10 from DeepState, a group that monitors the progress of Russian forces in Ukraine that has links to Ukraine’s security services. Pokrovsk is coming under increasingly heavy bombardment by Russian forces as they advance as close as 8km to the town. CNNPokrovsk is a vital supply town for eastern Ukrainian forces fighting back the tides of Russian soldiers. It could result in a withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Chasiv Yar and the line of contact moving closer to the much larger cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

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Persons: Vitaly, Vitaly mumbles, …, ”, He’s, Vladimir Putin’s, he’d, Oleksandr, ” Oleksandr, they’d, CNN Pokrovsk, Putin, Chasiv Yar Organizations: CNN, 59th Brigade, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Infantry, Convicts Locations: Ukraine, Pokrovsk, Russian, Kursk, DeepState, Donetsk, Kramatorsk