Russians seep into south and west of Pokrovsk - ISW
Ukrainian soldier from the 152nd Jaeger Brigade near Pokrovsk, Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo: REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov)
The frontline around Pokrovsk remains highly fluid, and both Ukrainian and Russian forces continue pushing toward the city, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Oct. 27.
ISW cited geolocated videos posted on Oct. 27 that show Russian forces recently advancing along Nakhimova Street in western Pokrovsk. Additional footage from Oct. 27 documents Ukrainian strikes on Russian positions in the eastern settlement of Rodynske (north of Pokrovsk), indicating recent Ukrainian advances there. The Ukrainian Chervona kalyna brigade, that published the video, stressed that Rodynske remains under Ukrainian control and that only “a few infantrymen” have entered its outskirts.
Military commentator Kostyantyn Mashovets reports that Ukrainian defenders destroyed three pieces of armored equipment in a recent mechanized assault near Krasny Liman (southeast of Rodynske). Still, small Russian infantry groups later entered southern Rodynske. Mashovets says these small Russian teams are trying to hold positions in the settlement while Ukrainian forces launch counterattacks.
On Oct. 27, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that occupation units are advancing near the rail station in central Pokrovsk and are “destroying” an allegedly “encircled” Ukrainian grouping in the town — a claim that echoes Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov’s Oct. 26 assertions that Russian forces have surrounded Ukrainian troops near Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
ISW’s Oct. 27 report explains in detail why Gerasimov’s claims are false and exaggerated. Meanwhile, Russian war correspondents, including those close to the Kremlin, said that the occupiers have not yet physically severed Ukrainian supply lines in the area but do have fire control over several dirt roads.
Ukrainian sources continue to note the porous nature of the front there and that Russia relies on infiltration missions into Pokrovsk. A Ukrainian platoon commander from the Shershni Dovbush unmanned systems battalion (68th separate jaeger brigade), callsign “Hus,” who operates on the Pokrovsk axis, reports that about 200 Russian soldiers have accumulated in Pokrovsk and are engaging Ukrainian forces. He said these groups “slipped in” two or three at a time, hide in shelters and basements across the city, conduct occasional small-arms contacts and await reinforcements. The 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Airborne Assault Forces also reported that Russian forces amassed in Pokrovsk are not attempting to consolidate positions but are trying to push further north.
Mashovets noted that it is difficult in Pokrovsk to pinpoint Ukrainian and Russian positions because Russian units infiltrate in small groups amid Ukrainian defense lines, often disguising themselves as local civilians. He adds that Russian forces are operating in the central part of Pokrovsk near the rail station and in the city’s southern districts, while Ukrainian troops hold positions in the Sobachivka area (east of Pokrovsk), the city center and the rail station. According to Mashovets, Ukrainian forces clearly control the area north of the rail station.
ISW analysts also point to evidence that Russian command has likely shifted offensive priorities in the Dobropillia sector to focus on Pokrovsk itself. Mashovets said the main striking force on the Pokrovsk axis is units from the Russian 2nd Combined Arms Army (Central Military District), which have pushed into southern and western Pokrovsk over roughly the past two weeks. He reports that at least two weeks earlier these occupation forces received significant manpower reinforcements — possibly between some 6,000 and 10,500 troops.
On Oct. 27, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia has amassed its largest strike grouping around Pokrovsk and neighboring areas.
“There is heavy assault activity. Fighting continues — including in the city," he said.
"Pokrovsk is their main target. Every gain by our forces in this sector is a gain for all of Ukraine.”
A Russian milblogger, citing a Ukrainian soldier named Stanislav Bunyatov (callsign “Osman”), suggested in his Telegram channel that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has ordered his forces to capture Pokrovsk within the coming weeks, by mid-November.
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