President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russian forces are currently concentrating their main military efforts near Oleksandrivsk and Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
In an afternoon update, Zelensky said he received reports from the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Oleksandr Syrsky, and the chief of the General Staff, Andriy Hnatov, who briefed him on the battlefield situation and long-range strike operations.
“First, we discussed the outlook on the Oleksandrivsk and Pokrovsk axes. That is where the Russian army’s greatest efforts are currently concentrated, and accordingly where our countermeasures are focused,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff on Monday evening, fighting remains particularly intense near Pokrovsk. Russian forces carried out 25 attacks in the Pokrovsk sector, attempting to advance near the settlements of Bilytske, Rodynske, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Novomykolaivka and Hryshyne. At the time of reporting, two assault actions were still underway.
In the Oleksandrivsk sector, Russian forces carried out 11 attacks near Ivanivka, Myrne, Kalynivske, Pryvillia, Verbove, Zlahoda, Oleksandrohrad and toward Lisne, Ukrainian military officials said.
Zelensky also said Ukraine’s long‑range capabilities are reducing Russian income, particularly from oil, adding that the impact of operations such as those in the Black Sea is being felt in both northeastern and southeastern sectors where such strikes are active.
Zelensky’s remarks followed a major drone strike overnight that crippled one of Russia’s key Black Sea oil terminals, as well as a week-long campaign targeting Russia’s Baltic ports, which is estimated to have cost Moscow nearly $1 billion in oil revenue in just one week.
The president said he approved further steps together with the military command, adding that battlefield strength and long-range capabilities should reinforce Ukraine’s diplomatic position and cooperation with international partners.
“Ukraine is defending itself and demonstrating its ability to strengthen the security of others,” Zelensky said.
The Pokrovsk direction has remained one of the most contested sectors of the eastern front in recent months, with Kyiv Post previously reporting repeated Russian attempts to advance toward the Donetsk area amid sustained Ukrainian resistance.
Moscow has named capturing the Donbas – encompassing Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions – its official war goal. Zelensky recently said Washington has linked Kyiv’s withdrawal from areas Moscow failed to seize over 12 years of fighting to US security guarantees. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio disputed Zelensky’s remarks, saying he misinterpreted the terms.
Zelensky also said that Moscow has issued a two-month ultimatum to Kyiv to withdraw from Donbas or face harsher peace terms, which he firmly rejected.
“They will never be able to take anything in two months,” he said.