The roar of rockets and both incoming and outgoing artillery are omnipresent, and should Moscow occupy the city, it would cut the main supply line for Ukrainian troops in the region.
Much of Pokrovsk has no electricity, and there is essentially no internet in some neighbourhoods. With little money or options to start their lives over again elsewhere, many of the residents believe that they have nowhere else to go.
According to Leonid Zakharovich, a pastor, some 30 people have resorted to living at an evangelical church in the city called Awakening that has become a shelter for displaced people.
The church is made up of a large one-story building equipped with a dining hall, kitchen, and various rooms that have been transformed into sleeping quarters for its residents.
Mr Zakharovich has been a pastor at Awakening since 1993, and during the war has worked as a head of the church.
Most days, he works to support Ukraine’s war efforts, whether that be meeting soldiers on the front lines or delivering aid to people on the front lines.
“We started hearing bombardments two months ago. You can hear [them] very often. We believe in God and the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and we believe that they [Russians] will not come here,” said Mr Zakharovich.
“According to the Bible, you should not violate your neighbour’s boundary. [Putin] invaded Ukraine, which means he violated it. Which means he is from the devil,” he added.