The situation in the city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, has become increasingly dire. Local authorities are urging residents to evacuate while it is still possible. Russian troops are approaching the city, so the head of the Pokrovsk city military administration, Serhiy Dobriak, says that the locals have a maximum of two weeks to evacuate. The forced evacuation of families with children is already underway in the region.
Soldiers from Ukraine’s 47th Magura Brigade described the relentless nature of the Russian attacks to Slidstvo.Info in a report entitled Enemy storms every 2-3 hours near Pokrovsk: how Bradleys, FPVs drones and Grads repel Russian attacks. The video has English subtitles.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces currently identifies the Pokrovsk sector as the most challenging, with nearly a third of enemy offensives occurring there. The frontline is steadily moving in favor of the Russian forces.
“Everything in Pokrovsk is still functioning-water, electricity, gas, public transport, shops, markets, banks, the court, the administrative service center. But we understand that within a week, these services will start to shut down gradually,” said city governor Serhiy Dobriak.
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In a conversation with Slidstvo.info, Ukrainian defenders in the Pokrovsk sector talk about the constant, uninterrupted assault by the Russian invasion forces. Russia is trying to squeeze out Ukrainians with a large number of soldiers: initially, one group is sent, followed by another, then another.
Vitaliy, a platoon sergeant with a mortar battery of the 47th Brigade, says these are the most difficult months in the Avdiivka sector.
Vitaliy, platoon sergeant of the 47th Brigade’s mortar battery
“We can say that these are the most difficult months for the entire period of our stay in the Avdiivka sector,” Vitaliy says. “For our brigade, the last 2-3 months are probably the worst in terms of the number of wounded and losses. Previously, there were two classic assaults – in the morning and in the evening. Now this process is continuous. Our infantry reports every 2-4 hours that they are under attack, and if the logistics are not well organized, sometimes it leads to the fact that the guys simply run out of ammunition and are forced to retreat.”
The soldier notes that this area is particularly difficult for defenders with limited experience.
“If there are unprepared individuals on the front lines, it is difficult for them to hold their ground,” says Vitaliy. “Our infantry is currently composed of mobilized personnel with only a few months of experience, and they are struggling. When neighboring units fail to do their job properly and our troops become surrounded, the situation can get quite tragic.”
Battalion commander of the 47th Brigade, Oleksandr, says that the Russians have hardly used any equipment in their offensive attempts for about two months now, as the Ukrainian troops have been burning it.
Battalion commander of the 47th Brigade, Oleksandr
“Regarding the use of equipment, I haven’t seen any large-scale offensive attempts in the past 1.5 to 2 months,” says Oleksandr. “How come? Because 90% of this equipment has been destroyed. On our side, we have been targeting their equipment with Bradleys, as well as mines and FPV drones. This is how we have halted their convoys. We have also taken Russian prisoners of war who admit they are afraid to drive in vehicles. Additionally, we have captured occupiers who report that their units are down to just two or three BMPs (infantry fighting vehicles — ed.). Some units are exhausted, which is why they are now relying mostly on infantry.”
On August 19, the head of the Donetsk Oblast State Administration Vadym Filashkin officially announced the forced evacuation of families with children from the Pokrovsk territorial community: “More than 53,000 people still live here, including almost 4,000 children… We have decided to compulsorily evacuate children with their parents or persons in loco parentis or other legal representatives from the towns of Pokrovsk and Rodynske, the villages of Hnativka, Dachenske, Zhovte, Zelene, Lysivka, Novopavlivka, Novoukrainka, Pushkino, Rih, Sukhyi Yar, Troyanda and Chunyshyne.”
Serhiy Dobriak, head of the Pokrovsk city military administration, notes that before the full-scale Russian invasion, there were 13,700 children in the Pokrovsk community. Currently, only one-third, or 4,788 children, remain.
