Pokrovsk mayor urges Zelensky to ‘make peace,’ military administration warns against ‘surrendering to despair’

On the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ruslan Trebushkin, the mayor of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, posted a video appeal to President Volodymyr Zelensky on Facebook.

“Mr. Zelensky, the residents of Pokrovsk want peace. Most Ukrainians want peace. People don’t want to fight — they are exhausted,” Trebushkin said in Russian. “We believe in you. Make peace and let people live.”

The Pokrovsk Military Administration responded, noting that under martial law, Trebushkin is officially on leave and that local governance is being handled by the head of the military administration.

In a statement, the administration stressed that it is “doing everything possible to bring victory closer and fully supports the president and the Ukrainian government in their efforts to achieve peace as soon as possible.”

“We cannot give in to irresponsible political rhetoric, show weakness, or surrender to despair,” the statement continued, urging residents “not to fall for manipulation.”

Pokrovsk, just a few kilometers from the front line, has been repeatedly targeted by Russian strikes, along with the nearby town of Myrnohrad. In his address, Trebushkin noted that centralized water supply and heating remain cut off in both areas.