While Ukraine’s military successes in Russia’s Kursk region are attracting international attention, 350 kilometers to the southeast in the Donbass, the country is facing a painful defeat. Russia is on the verge of taking over a major transportation hub.
Russian troops were recently on the outskirts of the industrial city of Pokrovsk, which is also a transportation hub. A possible Russian capture of the city could be more relevant to the further course of the war than the fighting in Kursk.
“Pokrovsk is an important logistical hub in the Donbass for the Ukrainian armed forces, and at the same time the city is a base for the third and last line of defense of the Ukrainians,” Federal Army military expert Markus Reisner explained Friday afternoon.
After the Russians broke through the second line of defense at Ocheretyne, Russian units are currently advancing 500 to 1,000 meters every day toward the west and Pokrovsk, the colonel explained. Ukraine has so far tried in vain to stop this advance.
Tens of thousands are expected to leave the city
The General Staff in Kiev reported 23 attacks by Russian troops near Pokrovsk. “The defenders have repelled 17 attacks and six more battles are ongoing,” the report said Friday night. According to media reports, Russian troops are just a few kilometers away from the industrial city. According to official information, 50,000 people live in the city.
On Thursday, head of government Serhiy Dobrjak called on his city’s residents to evacuate in a dramatic speech: the enemy was cynically firing at critical infrastructure and residential buildings, and people were killed, Dobrjak reported. “The situation will only get worse, not better,” he said.
Is Ukraine’s new strategy going wrong?
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the offensive by Ukrainian troops in the western Russian region of Kursk is also about permanently weakening the enemy army. However, significant resources would be withdrawn from the Donbass, Reisner recently explained to the “Krone”.
According to Zelensky, Russia’s losses in Kursk are “very useful” for Ukraine’s defense, he said in his evening video address on Friday. “It’s about destroying the logistics of the Russian army and consuming its reserves,” the Ukrainian president said. That strategy is likely to backfire at the moment.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
