Russia has gathered 110,000 troops in the area around Pokrovsk, As part of its efforts to understand the strategic city of Eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces leader said on Friday.

Olxandr Sursky said the area around Pokrovsk is the “hottest spot” along the 1,200 -kilometer front line, extending to eastern Ukraine.

The Russian forces have been trying to occupy Pokrovsk for almost a year, constantly launching severe attacks. However, despite the numerical superiority in troops and weapons, Moscow has not managed to conquer the city.

Pokrovsk is a strategic goal for the Kremlin, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that it is seeking the complete occupation of the eastern Ukrainian regions Donetsk and Luhank, which the Russian forces are partially possessed.

Kiev and his allies accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of deliberately delaying peace efforts to save time to understand more of Ukraine territories.

Although Pokrovsk is not a big city, it is located on a key road and rail axis connecting it to other military centers in the area. Together with Costanivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, it forms the backbone of Ukrainian defense in the Donetsk District, which remains under the control of Kiev.

About 60,000 people lived in Pokrovsk before the war, but the majority have left the city in the three years since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

The latest active Ukraine carbon production unit was in Pokrovsk, and many of the workers remained in the area to keep it in operation. When he was forced to close at the beginning of the year, they also began to leave.

The Institute for the study of war (ISW), a US -based conflict monitoring organization, said in late last year that Ukraine’s defense operations in Pokrovsk forced Russia to abandon its original plan to occupy the city frontally.