Ukrainian forces keep positions using fewer troops
Tank crew of the 93rd Motorized Rifle Brigade in the Pokrovsk direction (Photo: 93rd Special Brigade Kholodnyi Yar / Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces / Telegram)
Ukrainian forces on the front lines have made tactical adjustments, relying on drones as a first line of defense against Russian troops, The Wall Street Journal reports on April 29.
Ukrainian reconnaissance drones, including those equipped with thermal imaging, are closely monitoring movement along the front lines, and strike drones are eliminating Russian forces before they can reach Ukrainian trenches, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The report emphasized that this tactic allows Ukraine to hold territory with significantly fewer troops compared to previous wars.
"This innovation enables Ukraine to defend vast stretches of the front line with a remarkably small number of personnel," said George Barros, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, in comments to the publication.
While Russia’s primary target in recent months has been Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s drone-centric defense strategy is now being used across the eastern front, the article noted.
Fierce Fighting in Pokrovsk Sector
Pokrovsk has remained one of Russia’s key objectives in the Donbas for months. After failing to capture the city in the fall of 2024, Russian forces have since attempted to encircle it by bypassing direct assault routes, while continuing to bombard the area.
On April 17, Ukrainian forces repelled a major Russian assault involving motorcycles in the Pokrovsk area. Three days later, the Khortytsia operational-strategic group of troops reported that Russian forces suffered heavy losses and were forced to retreat. A full motorcycle detachment involved in the attack was destroyed.
On April 23, Khortytsia command warned that Russian troops are unlikely to abandon their push toward the administrative border of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts before May 9.
However, Serhiy Kuzan, head of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, told Radio NV that Russia has effectively lost the battle for Pokrovsk and its broader offensive plans in the region have been derailed.
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