Russian advance on Pokrovsk threatens crucial supply lines in Ukraine

The Russians have accelerated their actions. They are still moving towards the important city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. They have about 10 kilometres left. The analyses are alarming.

Analysts tracking the situation on the front line in Ukraine have no doubt that the Russians will soon reach Pokrovsk. They are currently about 10 kilometres from the city's borders. According to the Ukrainian Centre for Defence Strategies, this will happen in mid-September, "Forbes" reports.

The evacuation of the city's residents continues, as it is likely to share the fate of Avdiivka or Bakhmut, which the Russians turned into a pile of rubble. "It didn't go as planned," says one of the evacuated residents of Pokrovsk, referring to the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region. The Russians did not withdraw their troops to defend their own country.

In the latest intelligence update, it was assessed that the pace of the Russians will probably slow as they enter built-up areas.

It was explained that Pokrovsk serves as a key logistical hub for the Donetsk region and if it is occupied, it will likely lengthen and complicate Ukrainian supply lines. This will likely hinder Ukrainian forces from transporting new units and quickly relocating resources to several key strongholds between Chasiv Yar and Vuhledar.

The sparse reinforcements sent by the Armed Forces to this area may not save the city. "Ukrainian troops have repeatedly been forced to retreat, not having enough forces and means for organised defence," explained the Ukrainian analytical group Frontelligence Insight.

A report in The New York Times also discusses the situation in Pokrovsk. It describes the ongoing evacuation of this once-60,000-person town. Currently, about half of the residents remain in the city.

"Ukraine was calculating that its incursion over the border would force Russia to divert troops to defend there. Instead, Moscow has carried on with its relentless advance in eastern Ukraine, and Pokrovsk, a key logistics and transit hub, is in the path of destruction," reads "NYT."

Ukraine still has time to save Pokrovsk, "Forbes" reads. "It can be assumed that the enemy will reach the city by mid-September," the Ukrainian Centre for Defence Strategies told the editorial office, "but they will not be able to capture it"

"The open terrain, which is unfavorable for an offensive, and potential counterattacks from the Selydove [to the south] and Kostyantynivka [to the north] areas will slow their advance," the analysts added.

"But counterattack with what? There aren’t enough Ukrainian troops in the area to defend—to say nothing of attacking. It’s a truism in military strategy that a successful offensive requires the attacker to have a manpower advantage over the defender," "Forbes" reports, adding that against 12,000 Russian soldiers, "parts of just five Ukrainian brigades, a pair of smaller regiments and a few separate battalions stand against this veritable horde."