«Sure, go ahead», Zelenskyy comments on Putin's desire to come to Pokrovsk

Zelensky said Putin wants to come to Pokrovsk. Photo: Office of the President

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a desire to come to Pokrovsk, Donetsk region.

Zelenskyy said this during a meeting with the heads of the Security Service of Ukraine, Foreign Intelligence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, broadcast by «Suspilne».

«They say that Putin wants to come to Pokrovsk. Sure, go ahead, everyone would applaud. Everyone understands how it will end,» Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President noted that the situation in Pokrovsk remained extremely difficult — Russian troops had concentrated about 170,000 servicemen there. At the same time, the Head of State stressed that Ukrainian forces were not surrounded in the city.

«There is a serious battle for Pokrovsk. The Russians have been tasked with taking it because they failed to capture Sumy and Kupyansk. They understand that they will lose Kupiansk, so they will fight for Pokrovsk,» the President added.

SSU Head Vasyl Maliuk clarified that Russian troops have been claiming «the imminent capture of Pokrovsk» for over a year, but have advanced only seven kilometres, suffering tens of thousands of casualties.

On 30 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed laws extending martial law and mobilisation in Ukraine for another 90 days.