Hundreds of the city's residents are evacuating every day as Moscow's forces, less than 10 kilometres away, keep slowly advancing.
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Hundreds of people are fleeing the eastern city of Pokrovsk every day as Russian forces slowly advance towards its centre.
The city, which had a pre-war population of some 60,000 and is a major road and rail hub, would be a great strategic prize for Moscow — if it can be taken.
It remains unclear if the Russian military, which is now less than 10 kilometres away, intends to fight its way through the city, which would likely incur civilian casualties, or whether it aims to encircle the city — as it did in bloody battles to capture the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
If Pokrovsk falls, the defeat would imperil Ukraine’s defences and bring Russia closer to its stated aim of capturing the entirety of the Donetsk region where it lies.
Unlike Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian forces have built extensive fortifications, other parts of the Donetsk region still under Kyiv's control are less protected and could be significantly more vulnerable to the Russian onslaught if the key city falls.