ISTANBUL

Ukraine said its forces have been holding part of the front-line city of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region since mid-November, despite Russia’s claim earlier this month that it had taken full control of the city.

In comments reported Tuesday by local media, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops were no longer in the city “at some point in the autumn” due to limited capabilities, but regained control of about 13 square kilometers (5 square miles) as of Nov. 15 following offensives.

“We continue to hold the northern part of the city approximately along the railway line. In addition, west of Pokrovsk we have cleared and control about 54 square kilometers (20.8 square miles),” Syrskyi was quoted as saying by public broadcaster Suspilne.

He claimed the Russian army is continuing to increase its presence in the area and said the situation is difficult, especially in foggy and rainy conditions.

“At the same time, a few days ago I gave the order to withdraw our servicemen from positions 5-7 kilometers from Pokrovsk, which were still there. These are positions that we could no longer rotate and past which the enemy was seeping,” he went on to say, noting that keeping control of those positions was “inexpedient.”

Syrskyi also denied claims that the nearby front-line city of Myrnohrad, located about six kilometers (3.7 miles) east of Pokrovsk, is surrounded by Russian forces, expressing that logistics in the city are complicated but are being carried out.

The commander-in-chief’s remarks came as Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed earlier in the day that its forces continue to advance in Ukraine and have taken control of the southern part of Myrnohrad, which Moscow refers to as Dimitrov.

Gerasimov said the current “primary objective” of Russian forces is to defeat Ukrainian troops “encircled” in Myrnohrad, according to a Defense Ministry statement.

Earlier this month, Russia claimed control over Pokrovsk, which serves as a critical logistics hub for Ukraine's military operations in the Donetsk region.

Independent verification of battlefield claims by either side remains difficult due to the ongoing over three-and-a-half-year war.