Russian troops have mounted their fastest advance in eastern Ukraine in more than two years, pushing between 10 km and 20 km north of the mining hub of Pokrovsk since 8 August, Ukrainian military sources and independent monitors said. The thrust pierced defensive lines east of Dobropillia and carved out a narrow corridor that, for several hours on 11–12 August, severed sections of the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway, a key supply route for Kyiv’s forces in the Donetsk region. Ukraine’s General Staff acknowledged a “difficult” combat situation and said reserve formations were redeployed to the Pokrovsk and Dobropillia sectors to blunt the push. The command estimated about 110,000 Russian troops are now massed near Pokrovsk as Moscow attempts to widen the breach. Fighting was reported in multiple villages that sit on the northern approaches to the city, which has served as a logistics node for Ukrainian operations in the east. Analysts at the DeepState monitoring project and the Institute for the Study of War confirmed the extent of the penetration but cautioned that it remains a tactical breakthrough rather than an operational one. ISW said the next several days will be critical for determining whether the incursion can be expanded or contained. The escalation comes days before a highly anticipated U.S.–Russia summit in Alaska, prompting speculation among analysts that Moscow is seeking battlefield leverage ahead of the meeting. Kyiv, meanwhile, insists the advance underscores Russia’s intent to continue major offensives despite the forthcoming talks.