Russian forces are now just three kilometers (1.9 miles) from the outskirts of the key eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk after making advances Wednesday, according to Ukrainian mapping service DeepState.

Russia is pushing toward Pokrovsk, a strategic city for Ukraine’s army with important rail and road connections, in a rapid capturing of ground in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine’s top military commander says fighting around a key eastern Ukraine city is “extremely intense” after a monthslong Russian push.

Geolocation data indicates that they are about six kilometers south of Pokrovsk, advancing west of Novyi Trud and along the E50 highway south of Dachenske, narrowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces' positions.

Russian troops destroyed or captured several Ukrainian positions near the eastern city of Pokrovsk, Kyiv's military said on Wednesday, as Moscow bears down on the strategic logistics hub that is home to a unique Ukrainian coking mine.

A recent assessment of the Ukraine war has shown that the Russian forces have been making steady advances on Volodymyr Zelensky‘s territory, and have now reached within striking distance of the key Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.

Russian troops are now just 3 kilometres from Pokrovsk, reports CNN, citing the DeepState service, which tracks and maps the situation on the front in Ukraine. The Ukrainian army confirms these reports.