“We refuse.” Ukraine defended, Russia did not break through at Pokrovsk. President Volodymyr Zelensky took stock of the situation after a positive day for Ukraine’s armed forces. The defenses of the city of Donetsk, the fulcrum of the war for weeks, held out.
“It is very important that the invaders did not make significant achievements in the Pokrovsk sector, the Dobropillia region and the Donetsk region in general: we defend our position. We also maintained our position on all other front sectors, this is the most significant result for our country. I want to thank every unit and all our fighters,” Zelensky said in a message regularly posted on social media.
Russian slowdown
The president’s remarks are reinforced by the latest analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an American think tank that has monitored the conflict since its inception. In the last 24-36 hours “there is no element to assess that Russian forces have made further advances towards Pokrovsk”, ISW said, highlighting that Moscow units “have slowed the pace of ground activity to expand logistics and bring in reinforcements” in areas south of the city, where weapons and vehicles are massing in anticipation of a foreseeable new attack.
Kiev feared a siege
The Ukrainian military command recently acknowledged supply problems not only for Pokrovsk but also near Myrnohrad, where Kiev troops are busy defending their positions. In a statement to the Ukrainska Pravda news site, spokesman Andriy Kovalov denied the report Myrnohrad would be completely surrounded by the Russians.
The spokesman did not specify the nature of the supply problems, but denied that Russian forces would take full control of Ukraine’s logistics corridors. Ukrainian soldiers in Myrnohrad received a new supply of ammunition on Sunday and the wounded were evacuated, Kovalov added.
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, reiterated that it had completely isolated the two cities and had successfully repelled several attacks from outside aimed at breaking the siege.
ISW reports the information provided by Ukrainian intelligence sources and outlines a picture of switching between the versions proposed by both sides: the situation in the Myrnohrad region will be complicated for the Kiev department, forced to fight an infiltration attempt by a Russian team – with the presence of several soldiers on motorbikes – and a drone attack. The Moscow army also installed barbed wire and built fortifications and defenses in several areas of Myrnohrad. All of them suggest preparation for a new phase.
