Russians in the Donbass

In the shadow of the invasion, Kiev faces a debacle

An injured soldier receives first aid in Pokrovsk.

(Bild: AFP/Anna KURTH)

While Ukraine's military successes in the Russian region of Kursk are also attracting international attention, the country is facing a painful defeat 350 kilometers further south-east in the Donbass. Russia is on the verge of capturing an important transportation hub.

Russian troops were recently already in the suburbs of the industrial city of Pokrovsk, which is also a transportation hub. A possible capture of the city by Russia could be more relevant for the further course of the war than the Kursk fighting.

"Pokrovsk is an important logistical hub for the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donbass, and the city is also a base for the Ukrainians' third and last line of defense," explained Austrian Armed Forces military expert Markus Reisner on Friday afternoon.

Following the Russian breakthrough into the second line of defense near Ocheretyne, Russian units are currently advancing 500 to 1000 meters to the west and Pokrovsk every day, the colonel explained. Ukraine has so far tried unsuccessfully to halt 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, another six battles are still ongoing," it said on Friday evening. According to media reports, Russian troops are only a few kilometers away from the industrial city. According to official figures, there are 50,000 people in the city.

Head of administration Serhij Dobrjak had called on the inhabitants of his city to evacuate in a dramatic speech on Thursday: The enemy is cynically firing on critical infrastructure as well as residential buildings and there are casualties, Dobrjak reported. "The situation will only get worse, not better," he explained.

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 aimed at weakening the enemy army in the long term. However, important resources would be withdrawn from the Donbass in the process, Reisner recently told the "Krone" newspaper.

According to Selensky, Russia's losses in Kursk are "very useful" for the defense of Ukraine, he said in his evening video address on Friday. "It's about destroying the Russian army's logistics and using up its reserves," said the Ukrainian president. This strategy is currently likely to backfire.