The sound of artillery fire has become a grim soundtrack for residents of the Donbas city of Pokrovsk, as fresh intelligence from the Ministry of Defence confirms a significant build-up of Russian forces along the front line. The UK’s warning, issued this morning, speaks of a “renewed offensive” that could upend the fragile stalemate and push the conflict deeper into civilian areas.
For the workers and families in this industrial heartland, the fear is not abstract. It is the fear of another winter without heat, of water supplies cut off, of loved ones lost. The steel mills and coal mines that once defined this region are now silent, their machinery rusting under the weight of war. A local union representative, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety, told me: “We have nothing left but each other. And now they want to take that too.”
The troop surge, estimated to involve thousands of additional soldiers and heavy armour, appears aimed at exploiting the softened defences after months of attrition. The UK’s assessment warns that the coming weeks could see a “concerted effort” to seize the remaining Ukrainian-held territory in Donetsk province. For the people here, that means a choice between evacuation or entrenchment. Both carry heavy costs.
In the city centre, makeshift bomb shelters are being reinforced by volunteers. Pensioners queue for bread at a single bakery that still operates. The price of a loaf has doubled since last year. “We cannot afford to leave, and we cannot afford to stay,” said a woman in her 70s, clutching a bag of meagre supplies.
The economic impact of this renewed offensive will ripple far beyond the battlefield. Already, the disruption to harvests and supply chains is pushing grain prices higher globally. For working families in Manchester or Cardiff, the cost of a weekly shop will reflect the misery of Pokrovsk. And yet, the focus remains fixed on military strategies rather than the daily struggle of ordinary people.
As the tanks roll and the rockets fly, the real economy of this war is measured not in territory but in human endurance. The union representative put it bluntly: “We are not pawns. We are people. We need the world to see that.”
Further updates will follow as the situation develops.
