Street fighting in Pokrovsk: why the battle for the city became key to negotiations and political pressure from Russia

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, over the past 24 hours, 167 combat clashes were recorded at the front, and in the Pokrovsky direction, the Defense Forces stopped 52 attacks by Russian invaders near 16 settlements.

The situation in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, is very difficult. The enemy is actively storming the northern part of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian military continues to fulfill tasks to defend the city, holding back the Russian advance

It is worth noting that the information from the German publication Bild about the complete capture of the city by the Russian occupiers is not true.

Let me remind you that on December 3, Julian Röpke wrote in an article for Bild that Pokrovsk had allegedly come under the control of Russian troops. According to the journalist, “the capture of Pokrovsk demonstrates the inability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to stop the Russian offensive, but can only slow it down.”

According to the spokesman of the General Staff Dmitry Lykhovy, the Defense Forces hold the northern part of Pokrovsk along the railway line and continue to localize the centers of Russian units. Despite the intensity of the fighting, the Ukrainian military is working to strengthen logistics in the area of Pokrovsk and neighboring Myrnograd. One of the key tasks remains to deter the enemy and prevent him from forming new assault groups.

Currently, the enemy is trying to create the prerequisites to take control of the logistics of Ukrainian units and deprive them of the opportunity to rotate. In turn, the Defense Forces are providing additional logistical routes to support the units in Pokrovsk and Myrnograd.

The occupiers have changed tactics and are trying to squeeze the Defense Forces out of Pokrovsk. Street battles are ongoing, and these are high-intensity battles characterized by large losses of personnel of the Russian occupation forces. In the area of responsibility of the “East” military unit, daily losses of the Russian invaders amount to approximately 500 people.

According to Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vladislav Seleznyov, the Russian army loses about 30 thousand people every month – 65% of them are directly killed. However, the pressure on the Donetsk region continues. The occupiers are trying with all their might to capture Pokrovsk. Having failed to do this before the start of negotiations, they began to “capture” the city on Russian TV.

The Russian dictator lies about his military successes to both internal and external audiences. He should calm social tensions within the country amid military setbacks.

I would like to note that in four years of full-scale invasion, Russia has not been able to achieve even the intermediate goals of its so-called “self.”

Approximately 30% of the territories of the Donetsk region are under the control of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. And this is primarily an ideological, informational, political collapse of the so-called “special military operation”. This is happening against the background of an increase in tax rates: VAT was increased from 20 to 22%. Against the background of a fuel collapse, where more than 80 subjects of the Russian Federation have already experienced what a fuel crisis is. This is happening against the background of a decrease in funding for social, budget-protected items, including pensions, education, and medicine.

The second target audience is our American partners. The Russian dictator wants to show that if Ukraine does not agree to withdraw its units from the territory of the Donetsk region, the occupation army supposedly has the opportunity to solve this problem militarily. But we were convinced by the example of both Kupyansk and Pokrovsk that a month has already passed since the first statements of the Russian dictator, and there are no changes on the front line that would indicate a similar statement by the Russian dictator.

Our task now is to hold Pokrovsk for as long as possible, at least while the negotiation process is ongoing, to prevent the Russians from using this card to strengthen their positions. It is difficult to make predictions. Holding not only Pokrovsk, but also the rest of the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk depends solely on a political decision and negotiations.

In military terms, Pokrovsk is attractive for Russia with the prospect of reaching the administrative borders of the Dnipropetrovsk region. After all, there is a flat plain further on, where it will be quite difficult to restrain the Russians. An example of this is the events in the Zaporizhia region.

Accordingly, from a military point of view, Putin understands perfectly well that it is practically impossible to take the four industrial cities of the Donetsk region, which are united into an agglomeration, in the nearest historical perspective. Losses in only one Bakhmut, which is not a large city compared to Konstantinovka, the Russians had 90 thousand personnel. In addition, they stormed Bakhmut for 9 months. Here the question of capturing 4 industrial cities arises.

The political part is that Putin needs to show at least some intermediate and positive results for the occupying country of the so-called “own”.

Let me remind you that in recent days, the Russian dictator and the Kremlin media have been actively spreading false information that the front line in Ukraine will supposedly inevitably fall.

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