Oleksii Hetman, a reserve major of the Ukrainian National Guard and a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, stated this on Espreso TV."Claims that Russia controls 50%, 70%, or 95% of Pokrovsk are unacceptable and should not circulate in the information space or be believed by people. No one controls the city! Those who are fighting there are demanding an explanation of what is actually happening, because these maps are confusing people. What is the reality? Fortifications and a defense line have been built around Pokrovsk that the enemy has not breached in 18 months, and they are unlikely to break through it going forward," said Oleksii Hetman.According to him, the front line appears as a single line on maps, but in reality, it consists of firing positions with gaps between them where 2-3 people can crawl through or, as it's described, infiltrate into the city. Several hundred Russian soldiers have already managed to do this, but the critical question is whether they were able to establish a foothold. To accomplish this, they would need to build a firing position and have sufficient equipment to conduct combat operations—at minimum, adequate ammunition. Only then can one speak of consolidating and holding positions."Those who infiltrated did not carry bags of ammunition with them—they have only 20-30 magazines, which equals roughly 600 rounds, and no more. They have a minimal amount of what is needed to conduct an operation. It is crucial to understand that these are enemy sabotage groups; one cannot consider that they have established positions or are in control. They avoid direct clashes, change into civilian clothes, and hide in basements—this is what is happening in the southern part of Pokrovsk, beyond the railway. It is not as depicted on the map, showing that the enemy has entered and controls the area; they control nothing there," Hetman emphasized.On December 10, the OSINT project DeepState reported that Russian forces had advanced in Siversk, Myrnohrad, and near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.