Russian troops are advancing on Pokrovsk and the situation in Ukraine is becoming increasingly critical. Experts warn of the threat of siege – not only for Pokrovsk, but also for neighboring Myrnohrad.
The battle for Pokrovsk appears to be nearing its end. Footage from the Russian Defense Ministry showed Putin’s army moving unmolested through the south of the strategically important city. You can see destroyed buildings, empty streets and Russian infantrymen in the Shakhtarskyi district.
Experts see Pokrovsk as already in Russian hands
For more than a year, Russia has been trying to cut off Pokrovsk from the West and East with a pincer movement. Although Russian military maps now show the city as having been captured, maps issued by Ukraine are still valid continues to operate from a gray area that neither side controls.
According to Austrian military expert Markus Reisner, Pokrovsk fell militarily two weeks ago: “On the northern edge of the city there are several prefabricated buildings where a small area is still controlled by the Ukrainian army,” he said yesterday in an interview with “ntv”.
Ukrainian troops remain there to defend areas in the north and northeast – and to keep open “a small corridor to the eastern enclave of the city.” Units of the 38th Marine Brigade in particular attempted to retreat through this choke point to avoid being surrounded.
Reisner’s description is consistent with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) analysis. Therefore, Pokrovsk was not yet completely encircled, but the Russian offensive to the west and northeast had shrunk to several kilometers. Therefore, the city was in a tactical state – orderly defense or retreat became more difficult every day.
Myrnohrad – second danger
Not only Pokrovsk, but also Myrnohrad in the northeast is threatened with being cut off. Very explosive: As ISW reported, several thousand Ukrainian soldiers were trapped in adjacent residential areas – including many injured people who were difficult to evacuate. The gap in which the units could still retreat was less than three kilometers and continued to shrink.
Ukrainian troops repeatedly tried to break through in small groups. But the narrower the barrier, the greater the costs of this progress. As “ntv” reports, the front lines on both sides are porous – but Russian drones monitor the last open routes out of the city so intensively that even a small movement could threaten the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
International media such as Reuters reported that Moscow views Pokrovsk as a “strategically important independent asset” as the city could serve as a logistical springboard for further westward advances.
“The loss of Pokrovsk would be very painful, so I really hope this does not happen,” said a Ukrainian officer stationed near Pokrovsk in an interview with “Deutsche Welle” in early November. If Ukrainian forces lose Pokrovsk, all deployed Russian troops can move to Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, and Druzhkivka. Defending these cities will be much more difficult, the officer said.
With the city, Kiev not only lost an important urban base, but also some of its remaining control over western Donbass.
