After Russian forces first approached the outskirts of Pokrovsk in fall, this proud coal-mining city in Donetsk Oblast became the rock upon which the Russian army dashed itself against. After months of fighting and making advances from both east and west,

Russian troops have advanced in northern Sumy Oblast and near Pokrovsk in Donetsk, while Ukrainian forces made gains near Novopavlivka in Donetsk, according to a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on July 19.