After the unsuccessful offensive on Kharkiv, the Russian army concentrated its efforts on the Pokrovsk sector. Since the beginning of July, the Russians have breached the defensive line and advanced more than 7 kilometres towards Pokrovsk, near the village of Zhelanne. Additionally, the forced evacuation of families with children continues in the region.
Journalists from Slidstvo.Info spoke with soldiers from three units holding the line from Krasnohorivka to Zhelanne, White Angel police evacuation teams, and volunteers from the Vostok SOS charity foundation, who are evacuating civilians from towns and villages now nearing the frontline.
Distance from Pokrovsk to the frontline (Donetsk region) / Source: DeepState
“THEY REACHED A SECTION OF THE RAILWAY WITHOUT ENCOUNTERING ANY OBSTACLES.”
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine describes the Pokrovske sector as the most challenging at present. Nearly a third of the enemy’s offensives are concentrated there, with the frontline shifting daily in a manner unfavourable to Ukraine.
“THEY REACHED A SECTION OF THE RAILWAY WITHOUT ENCOUNTERING ANY OBSTACLES.”
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine describes the Pokrovske sector as the most challenging at present. Nearly a third of the enemy’s offensives are concentrated there, with the frontline shifting daily in a manner unfavourable to Ukraine.
For instance, in July alone, the enemy advanced more than 7 kilometres in the vicinity of Zhelanne village in the Pokrovsk district, progressing along the railway from the village of Prohres. The Russians succeeded in breaching the Ukrainian army’s defences in this area by exploiting the gap between Ukrainian units, Oleksandr Shyrshyn, battalion commander of the 47th Separate Mechanised Brigade “Mahura”, call sign “Genius,” told Slidstvo.Info.
“We entered this area when stabilisation was already needed. The reality is that certain tasks, which should have been completed, were not. These include establishing defensive positions, laying minefields, and so on. In other words, we had to work on creating an area that would hinder the enemy’s advance and complicate their movement. However, it turned out that they (the Russians — ed.) reached a section of the railway without any hindrance – the railway was not blocked by anything,” explains Oleksandr.
We report on the war as it unfolds. Support our mission by becoming a sponsor of our coverage!
Additionally, according to the 47th Brigade commander, the Russians are advancing so rapidly in this area due to their significant numerical advantage. Rob Lee, a former US Marine officer and expert on Russian military strategy at King’s College London, shares this view.
“A Russian soldier we recently captured told us about their current tactics. For example, a group of five soldiers is sent to storm a position, with a specific point they must reach. Another group waits, and if the first group fails to report back within a certain time and communication is lost, they are likely already ‘200th’, and then ten fighters are sent instead of five. This is how they wear us down,” says Shyrshyn.
“WE SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH MEN TO HOLD OUR POSITIONS.”
The same tactic of “exhausting” assaults by small groups, according to the fighters interviewed by Slidstvo.Info journalists, was employed by the Russians in the area of the now-occupied village of Umanske and near Krasnohorivka.
“They sent small groups of five men to storm positions one after another. Out of these 30 men, for example, only 8 or 10 would make it. This new group could then carry out tasks and continue the assault,” says Andriy Kobalia, a UAV platoon commander with the 109th Brigade of the Tank Corps, whose unit held the line in the area of the now-occupied village of Umanske (which was occupied by the Russians on 25 May 2024).
The enemy’s losses were many times greater, the soldier emphasises.
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this since the Second World War. They just send men like cannon fodder, one after another, and most of them die,” says Andriy Kobalia.
The 59th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade, which is defending Krasnohorivka, also told Slidstvo.Info journalists that the Russians have brought significant reserves to this area and are not concerned about their losses.
“Our brigade alone killed 2,960 occupants in June and about 2,300 in July — this is in the area from Karlivka and Nevelske to Krasnohorivka. We simply do not have enough men — infantry — to hold our positions,” said one of the officers of the 59th Brigade.
“Currently, we have only a few houses left under our control in this settlement (Krasnohorivka — ed.).” The fighting for Krasnohorivka has been ongoing since late April.
MILLIONS SPENT ON FORTIFICATIONS: IS THERE ROOM TO RETREAT?
The construction of fortifications in Donetsk Oblast is “almost complete,” according to Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, in an interview with Glavkom.
“There are defence lines. I’ve seen them. Generally, the Karlivka-Prohres line was being built, and other fortifications were constructed in parallel in the areas of Hrodivka, Novohrodivka, Selydove, and Pokrovsk. However, I believe this was intended to be the second line, or some sort of auxiliary or rear line behind Pokrovsk. But it seems that, unfortunately, it will soon become the main line,” says the UAV platoon commander of the 109th Brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces.
Filashkin noted that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, approximately 2.6 billion hryvnias have been spent on fortifications from the regional and local budgets of the Donetsk region.
The construction involves the local military administration, engineer troops, and the units defending these areas.
“We are constantly working to build dugouts; we’ve been doing this every day since October, so there is a second line,” one of the officers of the 59th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade told Slidstvo.Info.
“THEY CALL EVEN AT 23:00”: FORCED EVACUATION OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN CONTINUES ACROSS THE REGION
On 5 August, the forced evacuation of families with children was announced in the Donetsk region. Pavlo Dyachenko, head of the communications department of the National Police in Donetsk region and a member of the police evacuation team, told Slidstvo.Info that approximately 4,000 children need to be evacuated from the oblast to safer areas.
“We have 20 evacuation teams operating continuously across the entire oblast. The situation is very difficult in Hrodivka and Novohrodivka, where the settlements are almost completely destroyed. There have been powerful airstrikes on Hrodivka recently, and the centre of the settlement is severely damaged. Unfortunately, we have recorded both civilian casualties and injuries in that area,” says Pavlo Dyachenko.
The Vostok SOS charity foundation also reports a significant increase in evacuation requests.
“People call me even at 23:00 asking for evacuation. And this situation is not limited to the Pokrovske direction; it feels as though the entire Donetsk oblast is experiencing more intense fighting. We have received requests from the Lyman and Toretsk directions as well. We are also actively holding meetings with local authorities, the General Staff, and Vereshchuk (Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine — ed.), and it’s clear they are very tense and expect large waves of evacuations this year,” says Yaroslav Kornienko, head of the foundation’s evacuation department.
According to the National Police, during the first three days of the forced evacuation, 1,010 children from 756 families were evacuated from 28 settlements in Donetsk oblast.
