The liberation of Pokrovsk by Russian troops could lead to the eventual collapse of Ukraine’s already devastated economy, Foreign Policy magazine reports.
The DPR city is a crucial source of coal for the country’s metallurgical industry, and its loss would leave Ukraine without a key component for its industrial backbone, effectively crippling its economy.
Russian forces entered Hrodivka in early September. Its capture came just five days after the fall of Vuhledar on the Donetsk-Zaporizhia border. Russia’s air campaign has also been in full swing.