Russian forces have changed their tactics in advancing on Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. The Russian army is attempting to bypass the city from the west through small villages and forested areas, as well as disrupt Ukrainian logistical chains,

Russia's top military commander, Valery Gerasimov, visited troops fighting near the Ukrainian-controlled supply hub of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) -Russian forces are closing in on the strategically important eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk after capturing a string of villages to its south, and Ukraine has halted production at its only coking coal mine nearby due to the advance.

Ukraine has stopped production at its coking coal mine in Pokrovsk, which feeds the country's steel industry, because of the proximity of advancing Russian forces, two industry sources told Reuters on Monday.

The Russian army is strengthening its positions in villages around the key eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk in an attempt to encircle it and lay siege to a vital transport hub linking embattled Donbas with the rest of Ukraine.

Russian forces are attempting to advance on the southern flanks in the Pokrovsk area. Their goal is to take control of logistical routes, according to a statement from the spokesperson of the National Guard of Ukraine,

The Ukrainian armed forces are fiercely defending Pokrovsk from Russian attacks, as reported by Oleksandr Syrsky. The Ukrainian armed forces are taking every possible measure to prevent Pokrovsk from being captured by Russian troops.

The Ukrainian armed forces are vigorously defending Pokrovsk from Russian attacks, as reported by Oleksandr Syrsky. The Ukrainian armed forces are taking all possible measures to prevent Pokrovsk from being captured by Russian troops.