The Russian military command has currently designated the Pokrovsk direction as the top priority for its occupying forces. At least 11,000 Russian troops have been concentrated near Pokrovsk, with drone operators from some of Russia’s most effective UAV units actively operating there.
Source: OBOZREVATEL
The situation for Ukrainian soldiers in this area remains difficult, though Russian gains are minimal. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) provided an update on what is happening at the hottest point on the front today.
What’s happening in the Pokrovsk direction now
Analysts noted that, according to Ukrainian troops holding back the occupiers near Pokrovsk, Russian infiltration and troop buildup are complicating both Ukrainian offensive and defensive operations, as well as efforts to control the movement of Russian forces within the Pokrovsk “pocket.”
In the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces, Ukrainian soldiers reported that Russian troops are exploiting bad weather to revive infiltration tactics in the Pokrovsk direction in order to exaggerate the scale of their “victories.” Bohdan Burdelyuk, commander of the 3rd Air Assault Battalion of the 82nd Separate Bukovyna Air Assault Brigade, added that heavy autumn rains are hampering Russian logistics in the Pokrovsk area.
“Both Ukrainian sources indicated that Russian drone operations are effectively cutting Ukrainian ground lines of communication to and within Pokrovsk and toward Myrnohrad,” the ISW noted.
At the same time, a Kremlin-linked Russian military blogger claimed that drone operators from Russia’s Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies “Rubikon” had allegedly achieved an equivalent of “air superiority” with drones in the Pokrovsk direction.
Russian forces also continue to violate international law by committing acts of perfidy: soldiers — including drone operators of the Russian Armed Forces — disguise themselves in civilian clothing to avoid detection and destruction.
These actions have been confirmed by both Ukrainian military sources and Western media. In particular, BILD published a photo showing a Russian soldier dressed as a civilian without any military insignia inside a high-rise building in Pokrovsk.
The Ukrainian command has denied Russian claims about the encirclement of Ukrainian forces in the Pokrovsk direction. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, visited Ukrainian commanders operating in the area and stated on October 30 that Russia’s reports of Ukrainian troops being surrounded in Pokrovsk or Myrnohrad do not correspond to reality.
Nevertheless, the capture of Pokrovsk remains a top priority for the Russian command. Around 11,000 Russian troops have been concentrated near the city — yet they have failed to break through Ukrainian defenses.
“The pace of Russian advances in this area remains slow, even though Ukrainian forces are facing increasing difficulties in defending this sector. Ukrainian troops in the Pokrovsk direction have for weeks been fighting Russian infiltration missions and drone strikes on Ukrainian military positions, but they continue to slow Russian advances, particularly on the eastern flank near Myrnohrad,” analysts noted.
ISW believes that the pace of Russia’s advance in the Pokrovsk direction could change only if a new factor emerges that would significantly enhance Russia’s offensive capabilities or weaken Ukraine’s defensive capacity.
“The changing nature of warfare through drone use and the increasingly porous character of the front line in the Pokrovsk direction make it difficult to assess the extent of control exercised by Russian or Ukrainian forces in and around Pokrovsk. Therefore, ISW is not currently prepared to provide any assessments or forecasts regarding the speed at which Russian forces could destroy the Ukrainian ‘pocket’ near Pokrovsk,” the analysts concluded.