Russian troops have significantly intensified combat operations in eastern Ukraine, particularly near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, despite a Kremlin announcement promising a temporary ceasefire on 8–10 May. The report comes from the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyy.

According to Syrskyy, Russian forces are concentrating efforts on the Pokrovsk direction and continue aggressive attempts to breach Ukrainian defenses in hopes of reaching the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

“The lack of prospects on the operational and tactical fronts does not stop the enemy. They persistently try to break through our defenses and reach the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast,” Syrskyy wrote on Telegram on 30 April.

He added that Russian command sends fresh units into battle daily, incurring high casualties while reporting illusory victories.

Victory Day ceasefire: Ukrainian forces unveil Russia’s tactical intent

Syrskyy also said he spent the day with Ukrainian brigades stationed along that front to help resolve critical problems and assist commanders with organizing combat operations.

On 29 April, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine managed to stabilize the eastern front this spring. However, Ukrainian forces expect a renewed Russian offensive soon, timed with the end of the mud season and the emergence of foliage, which will make drone surveillance more difficult and favor the use of heavy equipment.

Open-source intelligence project DeepState, along with other monitoring platforms, reports that Russian forces are currently focusing their efforts south and east of Pokrovsk, and near Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast. In some sectors, Russian troops have advanced closer to the border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

ISW: Putin weaponizes Victory Day ceasefire to strengthen Russia’s war effort

On 28 April, the Kremlin announced that President Vladimir Putin had ordered Russian forces to observe a ceasefire on 8, 9, and 10 May to mark the “80th anniversary of Victory” in the USSR’s so-called Great Patriotic War — a euphemism for the 1941–1945 phase of World War II, which began after Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union ended years of their wartime alliance.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s support for a US-backed ceasefire initiative and recalled Kyiv’s earlier proposal for a 30-day pause in hostilities. He dismissed Putin’s announcement as “another attempt at manipulation.”

Zelenskyy calls Putin’s 9 May truce proposal a deceptive maneuver