Russian Forces Ride Into Key Ukrainian City Through Fog On Battered Vehicles, Video Shows

KYIV, Ukraine — A convoy rolls done nan dense fog: soldiers connected motorbikes, immoderate perched connected nan roofs of cars missing doors and windows, others atop a battered truck.

Debris covers nan muddy, pockmarked road, geolocated by NBC News to confederate Pokrovsk — nan metropolis wherever fierce battles are taking place amid Russia's push to beforehand deeper into eastbound Ukraine.

After much than a twelvemonth of fighting, location are increasing signs that Russia whitethorn beryllium astir to seizure nan city, a logistics hub seen arsenic a gateway to nan broader region.

Its forces person pierced stretched protect lines, pinch Ukraine's subject saying Tuesday that location were "more than 300 Russians successful nan city."

"In caller days, Russians person intensified their efforts to participate Pokrovsk connected ray vehicles done nan confederate suburbs," nan Ukrainian portion defending nan city, nan 7th Rapid Response Corps, said successful a statement.

"To do this, nan force utilized adverse upwind conditions, successful peculiar heavy fog," it added. "This reduces nan possibilities for our aerial reconnaissance and demolition successful unfastened terrain."

The video shows nan Russian troops moving done nan heavy haze arsenic they walk a roadworthy motion marked “Pokrovsk.”

A Russian worker successful nan video being shared connected societal media.via X

Russian forces attacking Pokrovsk person tried to penetrate Ukrainian lines alternatively than shape wide frontal assaults.via X

The footage was shared wide connected Telegram by Russia's celebrated subject bloggers, pinch immoderate comparing its postapocalyptic scenery to scenes from nan "Mad Max" action movies.

Pokrovsk is simply a cardinal Ukrainian carrier and proviso hub that Russian forces claimed to person encircled earlier this month. It was location to immoderate 60,000 group earlier nan Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its forces were advancing successful nan northwest and eastbound of nan city.

Moscow past week urged Ukrainian troops successful Pokrovsk to surrender and prevention themselves, claiming they were “trapped.”

Kyiv has many times rejected these claims, pinch nan 7th Rapid Response Corps saying Tuesday that it continued to place and destruct Russian soldiers successful nan city.

It antecedently stated connected Facebook that Ukrainian forces continued to support their protect line, pinch proviso routes still operational to nan adjacent metropolis of Myrnohrad connected nan eastbound front.

Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, pulled backmost from their positions astir 5 villages connected nan beforehand statement successful nan southeast because of Russian advances, subject spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn confirmed to NBC News.

If Pokrovsk was to fall, it could go a springboard for Russian forces to frighten adjacent strongholds specified arsenic Kramatorsk and Sloviansk arsenic President Vladimir Putin eyes afloat power of his neighbor's business heartland known arsenic nan Donbas.

Daryna Mayer reported from Kyiv, and Elmira Aliieva, Larissa Gao and Caroline Radnofsky from London.