The city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region is a hotspot of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Heavy fighting has been going on along the border for more than a year, which has shifted to the streets in recent months. A drone pilot told DW that the Russians were slowly moving into the city; It was impossible to track them all. The attackers were looking for hiding places, waiting for favorable weather conditions and entering the city individually or in pairs, pretending to be civilians and remaining unidentified for months, the pilot said.
The reconnaissance officer deployed to the area with his Ukrainian unit said, “According to my observations, infiltration is the main problem. It is very difficult to determine who is the enemy and who is a civilian.”
He told DW that Russian troops were advancing on Pokrovsk with large numbers of drones and glide bombs. Using drones, they were conducting ambushes, disrupting the logistics of Ukrainian forces and destroying any cover with their bombs.
Russian airspace superiority
Ukraine’s military currently believes that Russia’s forces in Pokrovsk have a double advantage in terms of both numbers and air supremacy. Ukraine was currently unable to counter the hordes of Russian drones.
“Because of the drones, we can’t move our air defenses closer to the front line. Otherwise, this expensive equipment would be destroyed. And we don’t have a sufficient number of aircraft to shoot down Russia’s Sukhoi bombers,” one interviewee told DW.
As a result, the line of contact on the front near Pokrovsk is very long. The so-called “death zone” extended over 20 kilometers (12.4 mi). The biggest problem facing Ukrainian forces is that the Russians destroy the supplies of Ukrainian troops. This makes it difficult to deliver ammunition and technical equipment. The same applies to troop rotation and casualty evacuation.
walking miles to reach positions
Another reconnaissance officer in Pokrovsk said, “Logistics are still working, but it is very risky. Most units are moving on foot. Some must cover dozens of kilometers to reach their positions. Humanitarian aid is dropped by drones.”
The Russians are now advancing on cities such as Dobropillya, Rodynske and Bilytske, which until recently were occupied by Ukrainian troops. Military centers and logistics centers were located there. The distance Ukraine’s military now has to cover and the time required for that objective have increased: “When the Russians started destroying Ukrainian logistics routes, we thought they were assuming complete air supremacy,” a female drone pilot told DW.
Now, fully armed Ukrainian soldiers must reach their positions on foot. Ground robots were able to provide basic supplies; However, they were also the target of Russian drones.
A drone pilot with the Ukrainian National Guard deployed on the outskirts of the city of Mynohrad also describes the Russian strategy of advancing in small infantry groups. In July, logistics were still operational, and all essentials were delivered on a daily basis. However, from mid-August, drone pilots had to leave their positions on foot and walk 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) to reach Rodinske. By September, that distance was already 30 kilometers (18.6 mi).
“The conditions are very difficult to access. There are only one or two land routes left and one of them is under continuous shelling,” the pilot said.
Additionally, Ukrainian drone pilots will now have to remain at their posts for 30 to 40 days. Many refused to take up positions on the outskirts of Mynohrad because there they could be encircled by the Russians.
What is the current situation in Pokrovsk?
Ruslan Mykula is a co-founder of the DeepState analysis project. The Russians, he said, were trying to gain a firm foothold in the city of Mirnohrad to establish their logistics. However, this would be an extremely unfavorable development for Ukraine. And without Pokrovsk, Ukrainian forces would be unable to capture Mynohrad, Mykula said.
Pokrovsk itself would then become the main base of Russian troops. They will advance towards an area with high-rise buildings and densely built-up areas where thousands of soldiers can be deployed. In addition, the positions of Ukrainian drone pilots, as well as the positions of Ukrainian electronic warfare and reconnaissance units in forest areas, will have to be replaced.
A Ukrainian officer currently stationed near Pokrovsk said, “The loss of Pokrovsk would be very painful, so I really hope that the situation will not come to that level.” “The fortifications are ready. A fortress like Pokrovsk is unique, with high buildings, high ground and a lot of concrete. In theory, this city can be easily defended.”
There is no other city like it in the region. If Ukrainian troops lost Pokrovsk, all deployed Russian forces could move towards Kramatorsk, Sloviansk and Druzhkivka. Those cities will be much more difficult to defend, the official told DW.
A Ukrainian military expert, who wished to remain anonymous, is convinced that the Russian leadership has ordered the army to seize the Donetsk region. The Kremlin wanted to negotiate with Ukraine and its Western allies from a position of strength, he said.
“Pokrovsk is considered a part of that operation to bring the highway connecting the cities of Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Kostyantivka and Pokrovsk under full Russian control. The Russians can then advance towards Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region,” the expert told DW. Seizing the metropolitan area of Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad was important for the Russians as a starting point for advancing not only towards Pavlohrad, but also towards Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk to the north. “That’s why there’s such fierce fighting around Pokrovsk.”
In a DW interview, military expert Markus Reisner said the situation around Pokrovsk has been steadily deteriorating for several weeks.
Reisner said, “Despite Ukraine’s success in thwarting the breakthrough attempt north of Pokrovsk, we are in a situation where Russian pressure has increased to such an extent that they have been able to invade the southern districts of the city in particular.” “Theoretically, we will see the same developments that we have seen repeatedly in recent months and years in the battle for important cities that we have already forgotten.”
However, Moscow’s troops achieved no operational success, which was already the objective of the Russian summer offensive.
This article was originally published in Ukrainian.