Russian army won't stop at Pokrovsk: Ukraine's Forces name next targets if city is captured
Photo: Ukrainian military (Getty Images)
Russian forces won't stop at Pokrovsk. If they manage to capture the city, Russia's next targets will be Chasiv Yar and an advance towards Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Kostiantynivka, and Druzhkivka, states Ivan Tymochko, head of the Council of Reservists of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine's YouTube channel.
"The Russians will not stop their pressure. It's an illusion to think that if the Russians enter Pokrovsk... If they enter—whether they will even enter or approach is still in question. The idea that they will stop there to regroup is false. We've seen this in Avdiivka, Ocheretyne... Unfortunately, they do not stop," Tymochko said.
According to him, Russia will try to maintain the intensity of the fighting at the current level.
"As for the direction towards Chasiv Yar, it leads toward the urban agglomeration of Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka. This is essentially the direction that was planned from the beginning. It was meant to be the northern direction to envelop Donetsk region from the north," the representative of the Ground Forces noted.
He reminded that this is a strategic plan of the enemy, one they have long been trying to implement.
"As for the risks, the enemy has been trying to capture Chasiv Yar for a long time. Combat operations have been ongoing for almost a year. The enemy has always claimed that they are 'just about to capture it.' I wouldn't say the situation there is drastically improving. But we need to understand that Donetsk region is the only region where the Russians still have a tactical advantage, where they have managed to concentrate enough forces to have, let's say, the potential for advancement," Tymochko said.
The representative of the Ground Forces noted that neither the Kharkiv region nor Zaporizhzhia are active front areas for the Russians anymore.
"They will increasingly be forced to reduce and reduce their efforts on other fronts. The Donetsk region is the area that Putin hopes to capture. He understands that his army will stop to justify, saying, 'We have achieved one of the goals of the special military operation, we have taken the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. We have defeated everyone and now we are resting,'" he added.
Tymochko emphasized that in reality, the Donetsk region is the last attempt by the Russian President to show that he can still control the situation without announcing any large-scale mobilization.
Situation on the Pokrovsk front
Russian forces continue their offensive in the Pokrovsk area of the Donetsk region. In recent months, this direction has been the most challenging part of the front.
It was previously reported that Russian troops are within 11 km of Pokrovsk. Local authorities are urging residents to evacuate immediately.
According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Russian forces are actively using their advantage in manpower and military equipment, including artillery and aviation, in the Pokrovsk direction. There are over 50 combat engagements daily, with the Russian troops losing up to 300 soldiers.
Additionally, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will reinforce the Pokrovsk direction due to the worsening situation on this front.
