Why elite Russian troops are advancing towards Pokrovsk, the gateway to Donetsk
Russia's best troops are racing against both time and the weather to take the city of Pokrovsk which controls key logistics for the frontline and will offer Putin a doorway to reach Donetsk.
The former mining centre, located in the east of the country, has become Russia's latest target due to several strategically important factors which could affect both Ukraine's frontline and provide Moscow with a stepping stone to conquering the entire Donetsk region.
Thousands of Russian troops are currently advancing on the city outskirts, but what would it mean for either side if the city fell?
The technical university in the city has since been turned into an outpost for organising logistics and transport for the Ukrainian eastern front.
Destroying this position could affect Ukraine's ability to provide support to its frontline.
Russian media has called the city the gateway to Donetsk, and destroying the Ukrainian presence there would disrupt supply lines and act as a stepping stone to reach the city of Chasiv Yar.
Chasiv Yar is another key city in Ukraine and is located on the high ground.
Taking that settlement would put Russia in a position to control the wider area and dominate the area with artillery stationed at a higher position.
Pokrovsk could be key to Vladimir Putin's plan of seizing control of the Donetsk region, so taking the city is in Russia's best interest.
The head of Ukraine's military, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, says Moscow has sent some of their best units to Pokrovsk, which are reportedly only six miles away from the city.
Civilians have been evacuated from the city and the fighting is expected to be heavy.
It is thought Russia will use glide bombs against the defenders, and Ukraine is still hoping to use long-range Western missiles against Russian airfields where these bombs would be launched from.
Since the incursion into the Kursk region, Russia's advance has slowed but it hasn't stopped.
Moscow ended up sending troops from other parts of the frontline, from Kherson and Kharkiv, and from inside Russia itself, rather than the units fighting around Pokrovsk.
The Ukrainians say they're reinforcing the area and thousands of Russian troops have already died in the slow grinding advance.
Just like the fights for Bakhmut and Avdiivka before it, the battle for Pokrovsk is about to begin.
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