Ukrainians in the southern city of Kherson live in constant fear of Russian drone attacks. The threat continues even after the city was liberated in 2022.

Pokrovsk was dubbed a "fortress" settlement in the Donetsk region, key to Ukrainian lines in the east and connected to other cities forming the backbone of Ukraine's defense in the east. Russia kicked off a push to take Pokrovsk in the summer of 2024.

Russian forces have surrounded the embattled Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk and control 70% of it, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, but Kyiv's top general said Ukraine was pushing back hard and that fighting was raging in the city centre.

The battle for Pokrovsk, which Russians refer to by its Soviet-era name Krasnoarmeysk, has been going on since the middle of 2024. Located in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, it was an important logistics hub for the Ukrainian army.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared last week to be cautiously optimistic on the U.S. 28-point peace plan to end his invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has shifted its tactics. Instead of a full-scale frontal assault, it has been using a slower method, sending small units and drones to disrupt supply lines and encircle the city.

The attack is the latest example of Russia’s efforts to use digital threats to target governments and organizations that have supported Ukraine,

Russian drones and missiles attacked districts of Kyiv early on Saturday (November 29), killing one person and injuring 11, officials said, with explosions and falling drone debris triggering fires. It was the second attack on the Ukrainian capital over four days.