War in Ukraine
The Russian-Ukrainian war has been going on for more than three years. The front lines are now essentially frozen, but the conflict seems to be escalating as the warring parties try to acquire more allies and weapons and involve more countries in the conflict. But what will be decisive: arms shipments, sanctions, or perhaps peace talks? How long will the Ukrainians hold out and how long will Russian society tolerate the losses? We will try to answer these questions in our series of articles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the defense of Pokrovsk a priority after special forces were deployed to the strategic city on the eastern front line.
The BBC, citing information from the Ukrainian military, reports that military intelligence and stormtroopers have been deployed to protect their supply routes.
There are reports of serious Russian advances in the town west of Donetsk, although the Ukrainians have also denied that their troops have been surrounded.
The Russians have been trying to capture Pokrovsk for more than a year, which is now effectively a gray zone that neither side can permanently control.
The defense is being personally led from the scene by Kirill Budanov, the head of military intelligence. A dozen Ukrainian commandos reportedly landed in the area in a US Black Hawk helicopter; the Russian Defense Ministry says they were all killed, although the Ukrainians deny this.
Budanov on the front line? Ukrainian intel chief spotted near Pavlohrad
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv)
Ukrainian army major Andriy Tkachuk says GUR chief Kyrylo Budanov was seen in the Pavlohrad area. Earlier reports claimed Budanov was personally overseeing a GUR special-forces counterattack near Pokrovsk.
A military source in Donetsk told the BBC that while Ukrainian forces have not been encircled, their supply routes are under constant fire. They are currently fighting for the city's railway station and industrial areas, but so intensely that soldiers are now carrying supplies into the zone by hand, rather than using vehicles.
Meanwhile, Oleksandr Shirsky, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, posted on Facebook that a comprehensive operation is underway to drive out thousands of Russian forces from Pokrovsk and its surroundings. According to the commander-in-chief, the main burden is borne by drone operators and assault squads, but Special Operations Forces, military law enforcement and intelligence officers, and the Security Service of Ukraine have also joined the defense of the city.
According to Shirsky, Russian forces in Pokrovsk
they are paying the highest possible price to carry out the Kremlin dictator's order to occupy the Donets Basin.
