Ukraine news: Russia advances on key city of Pokrovsk [Video]

The commander of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk group of forces has been replaced following Russian advances in the region, a military official said Saturday.

General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy would take over as head of the operational and tactical group, replacing General Oleksandr Lutsenko, the official told CNN.

The move comes after Lutsenko faced heavy criticism for failing to stop recent Russian advances on the key city of Pokrovsk.

Russian forces have been spotted just three kilometres from the city, according to Ukrainian mapping service DeepState.

Pokrovsk has been the site of some of the fiercest battles on the eastern front for months, as Russia attempts to close in on the city.

Lying around 17 kilometres from Ukraine’s Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, it is a strategic target for Moscow.

Its fall to Russian forces would mark the largest setback for Ukraine in months and compound Ukraine’s struggles to get off the backfoot while Russian troops pile severe pressure on the …