Russians are rapidly advancing in Donetsk Oblast, Pokrovsk is just a few kilometers away - NYT
Date: 2024-12-13 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WAR
Russian occupation forces are approaching the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said that the Defense Forces are fighting there hard, and that "non-standard solutions" will have to be adopted to strengthen Ukrainian defenses.
While Syrsky did not specify what measures might be taken, his alarming statement underscored the deteriorating situation around Pokrovsk, a key rail and road hub for the Ukrainian army, The New York Times reported.
Russian occupiers are trying to outflank Pokrovsk. In recent days, the enemy has advanced south of the city. It is now less than three miles (about 4.8 km) from its outskirts.
The Russians are also steadily pushing through villages and towns for dozens of kilometers to the south, threatening to seize the last two Ukrainian strongholds in the southern part of the Donetsk region.
"Moscow is advancing in the Donetsk region at its fastest pace since 2022, seizing hundreds of square miles each month, using its superior manpower to push through Ukrainian positions weakened by troop shortages. Analysts say the Kremlin is trying to secure as many territorial gains as possible before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month and begins pushing for peace talks on terms that will likely be determined by each side's status on the battlefield," the article says.
Emil Kastehjelmi, a military analyst at the Finnish Black Bird Group, says that between September and November, Russia seized more than 600 square miles (about 1,554 square kilometers) of Ukrainian territory. That figure is about twice the size of New York City. Moreover, almost all of this captured territory is in the Donetsk region.
According to the analyst, despite the heavy losses of the Russian army, the pace of the Russian occupation forces’ advance is accelerating with each passing month. Kastehelmi predicts that Russia could occupy another 200-300 square miles (517-777 square kilometers) of Ukrainian land by the end of this year.
The recent advance of Russian troops near Pokrovsk is consistent with a strategy long predicted by military analysts: bypass the city’s main defensive lines – trenches, bunkers, and anti-tank ditches – and instead bypass it from the south through more open terrain.
It is not yet clear what the “non-standard solutions” announced by Commander-in-Chief Syrsky will be for strengthening the Ukrainian troops. Serhiy Kuzan, head of the non-governmental research group “Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation,” says that the Ukrainian commander has experience conducting surprise offensive operations, such as in the Kharkiv region in 2022 and in the Kursk region this summer.
"When we talk about non-standard solutions, including in the Pokrovsk direction, we recall these two examples and understand that this is Syrsky's approach," he explained.
The publication recalls that Pokrovsk, whose pre-war population was about 60,000 people, is located on a key road connecting several cities. These settlements form a defensive arc protecting the part of the Donetsk region that is still under Ukrainian control. In addition, it is the last major city in the central part of the Donetsk region controlled by Ukraine.
"Combined with the possible fall of Kurakhovo and Velyka Novosilka, two Ukrainian strongholds in the south, the capture of Pokrovsk could pave the way for Russia to completely seize the southern part of the Donetsk region. It could also open the way for new attacks on the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region," the NYT writes.
At the same time, a Ukrainian military analyst under the pseudonym Tatarigami states that the Russian occupation forces are trying to control supply routes to Pokrovsk. Enemy attack drones are flying over a key road:
"This is a serious threat to the supply process of Pokrovsk, which potentially threatens the stability of Ukrainian defense in this area."
