Pokrovsk nearly encircled, no sign of relief — video of military analyst interview
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Military expert and former SBU officer Ivan Stupak told Radio NV about the "very critical” situation in Pokrovsk.
“It’s really bad and for now there are no prospects for improvement,” the expert said.
He recalled that Ukrainian defenders have held the city for more than 13 months — even though, according to Russian plans, it should already have fallen.
“Back in Sept. 2024 this city was supposed to have been taken; the Russians had plans and pushed in quickly.”
He highlighted the nowadays situation in the city's defense.
“The DeepState project shows the neck of the 'pocket' closing around Pokrovsk to a width of less than seven kilometers," he explained.
"We previously said 10 km or less is already critical. Now that mark is even smaller than critical. On Russian official maps this segment is marked as captured and it shows Ukrainian forces completely encircled. Our command denies that, our troops deny that, but everyone says simply ‘a cardinal disaster’ — and this is very bad.”
Stupak argued the question now is about quickly withdrawing our troops where possible:
“Not necessarily fully out of the city, but [we should consider] changing positions, pulling forces back and, first and foremost, saving people. Secondarily — saving equipment and weapons located there. …It’s desirable to evacuate them so they don’t fall into the enemy’s hands. But first and foremost — the soldiers, the wounded who are there, because the city really is almost encircled.”
The expert explained the threat to logistics routes:
“The road that runs from Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, to Pokrovsk — it looks like 'a fork' and one branch is already taken. On the road to Myrnohrad, from Novoekonomichne, the Russians are already almost physically present — that road is nearly unusable.”
On Oct. 24, Ukrainska Pravda, citing officers from two brigades, reported that at least 250 occupiers were in Pokrovsk, engaging in small-arms clashes and executing Ukrainian soldiers on positions, including UAV operators; the article called the situation critical.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote that Russian forces had advanced into central and western parts of Pokrovsk and took positions along the railway, although the exact front line in the city and its outskirts remains unclear.
On Oct. 26, the General Staff said the situation in the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad agglomeration remains difficult. Russian occupying forces outnumber Ukrainian defenders and are intensifying offensive efforts. The General Staff confirmed that the Russian army had amassed roughly 200 occupiers in Pokrovsk.
That same day President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russian fakes claiming the encirclement of thousands of Ukrainian troops in the Kupyansk and Pokrovsk areas, while confirming heavy fighting in the city.
On Oct. 27, representatives of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces said urban fighting continues in Pokrovsk, but Russian forces do not fully control any districts of the city.
Also on Oct. 27, President Zelenskyy said that the Russians had concentrated their largest strike groups in Pokrovsk and neighboring areas.
A Russian-aligned Telegram source quoted by some outlets suggested that Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to capture Pokrovsk within weeks, by mid-November, a claim reported by the pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel Hovoryat Snayper (Stanislav Bunatov, “Osman”).
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