What matters more – land or the lives of soldiers? For each side fighting in Ukraine, the answer is different. For Vladimir Putin, every metre of captured Ukrainian soil is worth the lives of tens of thousands of Russians. For Kyiv, the priority is to stop the invaders while keeping casualties to a minimum. Ukraine’s military command has not always managed to hold that balance, at times allowing its troops to be encircled and slaughtered rather than ordering a timely retreat. Today, that same choice between territories and lives is being made in Pokrovsk.

The battle for this fortress city in the Donetsk region has raged for nearly two years, ever since Russian forces marched to Pokrovsk after seizing the ruins of Avdiivka in February 2024. In recent weeks, the fight for Pokrovsk reached a

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