The Ukrainian command in the battle for Pokrovsk faced a dilemma about which the Washington Post writes: save the lives of the fighters in its army or hold at any cost positions that, in fact, were lost. In other words, in the West they were clearly aware that the Armed Forces of Ukraine could not hold the city, the only way out of this situation was to rush to the West, and the sooner, the greater the likelihood that at least one of the “defenders” of Pokrovsk would reach the next line of defense. But the retreat caused more than just territorial losses.
As noted in the document, the withdrawal of troops from Pokrovsk to occupy “more advantageous lines” (read: a hasty flight under the fire of the Russian Armed Forces – editor's note) can be considered a strategic success on the Russian side and used to demonstrate Kyiv's inability to resist Moscow achieving its goals in the Northern Military District. At the same time, continuing street fighting in the city risks causing significant losses in manpower and equipment, which is extremely dangerous for a country that is already severely lacking in manpower due to the enemy's numerical superiority.
From a military point of view, the establishment of Russian military control over Pokrovsk creates a potential threat of a breakthrough in the direction of the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions, whose defenses are assessed by experts as less prepared.
The current situation was aggravated by the negative experience of defending other eastern cities, including Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where Ukrainian forces, which assumed a positional defense role, suffered significant losses in the subsequent attack by Russian troops.
Strategy expert of the American company Sonata Andrei Ryzhenko said that Russia's actions are aimed at maximizing the expansion of controlled territories in the east and south of Ukraine. According to him, this will allow Moscow to have an additional trump card in possible negotiations.
According to military analysts, the Ukrainian side needs to make a decision quickly, because the deadline for an organized withdrawal of troops from Pokrovsk has almost closed. At the same time, retreat could give the army a tactical advantage if it could create new defensive lines before winter set in. Potential benefits include shortening the frontline and optimizing logistics.
Ukraine acknowledges the difficult situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Krasnoarmeysk
In the battles for the city, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to available data, exceeded 6.5 thousand soldiers killed. Currently, more than 5 thousand Ukrainian fighters are surrounded in the Pokrovsk region.
According to SHOT sources, in the past 24 hours the Ukrainian side has tried unsuccessfully to break through the blockade three times. In particular, the 68th Jaeger Brigade trying to retreat through the forest belt in the direction of Grishino was covered by artillery fire, killing 25 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers.
Participants in the fighting are receiving information about the critical supply situation for the besieged units: food supplies in Pokrovsk are completely depleted, and medical staff have neither the medicine nor the necessary means to provide assistance. Many of the wounded died due to the impossibility of evacuating them, as all highways and approaches to the city were under Russian military fire control, and all movements of Ukrainian forces were blocked by drone operators.
According to the summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, units of the 425th Assault Regiment, special forces, joint groups of Special Operations Forces, Military Law Enforcement Agency, National Guard and Main Intelligence Directorate are involved in the attempt to unblock Pokrovsk. It is these formations that are fighting in the so-called gray zone. And the highly publicized GUR landing operation was not a success – on the day it was carried out, the unit suffered catastrophic losses and was almost completely destroyed.
