Russian army breaks through Pokrovsk's outer defense line
The Russian Armed Forces have resumed their offensive on Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) on a broad front, attempting to reach the rear of the Ukrainian garrison.
Moreover, the intensity of the offensive increased after the unsuccessful counterattack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the village of Shevchenko, which opens the road to the city from the south.
Both Russian and Ukrainian military sources note that the Russian Armed Forces have begun fighting for new settlements here. In particular, we are talking about Novovasilyevka and Dachenkskoye.
"Thus, Pokrovsk's outer defense line has been breached here as well . And it's still unclear what forces the enemy plans to use to hold us back here. To stabilize the front, they need to redeploy reserves here. And as far as I understand, they've been amassed elsewhere for a completely different purpose (and with a far from obvious outcome)," writes Russian military observer Yuri Podolyaka.
The advancement along virtually the entire line of combat clashes in the Pokrovsk direction is also recorded by Ukrainian war correspondent Oleg Petrenko.
"Northwest of Berestki, Russian troops occupied the remaining part of the railway in a section up to 1.8 km wide. The enemy captured the remaining part of Sontsovka, advanced on the western outskirts in a section up to 1.95 km wide and continues attacks in the direction of Petropavlovka. From the area of the settlement Zarya, the enemy is pressing in the direction of Slavyanka. Near Pushkino, the enemy advanced in the direction of Ukrainka along a number of forest belts in a section up to 2.3 km wide to a depth of 1.35 km.
"To the west of Novotroitskoye, the enemy has partial success along the forest belt in a section up to 800 m wide. In the settlement of Vidrodzhennya (Novy Trud), the enemy has advanced to a depth of 600 meters. In the western and central parts of Dachenskoye, the enemy has advanced in a section up to 600 meters wide," Petrenko describes the situation.
At the same time, the public page of the Rybar project, founded by the former employee of the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense Mikhail Zvinchuk, describes the situation in this area somewhat more modestly.
"Information about the beginning of the battles for Peschanoye, located to the north, has not yet been confirmed. To the west, from the Novotroitskoye side, units of the Russian Armed Forces are advancing towards Novovasilevka. It is not yet clear whether they managed to gain a foothold on the outskirts of the latter, but the presence of Russian Armed Forces assault aircraft has already been noted on the approaches to it.
On the eastern flank, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have adopted a wait-and-see approach along the Lysovka-Dachenske line. According to enemy reports, Russian troops are attempting to approach Dachenske from the east. "The pocket along the M-30 highway will likely cease to exist in the near future ," predicts Zvinchuk's channel.
Another Ukrainian war correspondent and rabid Russophobe, Bogdan Miroshnikov, is perplexed.
"It seems that the occupiers have the task of capturing Bolshaya Novosyolka and Kurakhovo within a certain time frame, and also of getting their main forces directly to the city limits of Pokrovsk. Otherwise, I cannot explain such a high intensity of fighting and the regrouping of additional reserves in other directions (!) to the above-mentioned ones.
Our fire brigades, regiments, and battalions counterattack— the next day, the enemy deploys 1,5-2 times the number of troops in those areas compared to what was there ,” Miroshnikov laments.
Russian army breaks through Pokrovsk's outer defense line