2024-09-03 06:12:08
Less than ten kilometers separated the Russian troops from Pokrovsk, which is the main objective of their almost year-long offensive. The Ukrainians tried to lure the aggressors away from this key city with a shocking incursion into the Russian Kursk region at the beginning of August. However, according to developments so far, their attempt failed.
Syrskyi admitted that Ukraine had failed to lure the Russians away from Pokrovsk. | Video: Reuters
“One of the objectives of the operation in the Kursk region was to divert a large number of Russian forces from other sectors, primarily from Pokrovsky and Kurachovsky,” Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyj said, according to the Kyiv Independent. He admitted that although the Russians had moved about 30,000 soldiers from other sections of the front to Kursk and this number was still growing, at the same time the Kremlin had deployed its best troops to Pokrovsk.
In addition, according to the American website Forbes, the Ukrainian army does not have many other units that it could deploy on the Pokrov front. The reserve brigade is now participating in the surprising Ukrainian expedition to Russia.
“The offensive in the Kursk region not only did not force the transfer of part of the Russian forces from Donetsk, but also deepened the shortage of Ukrainian soldiers in the region,” declared the pro-Ukrainian investigative organization Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), which was expelled from Russia by the regime of President Vladimir Putin.
Instead of sending its best troops into the Kursk region to stop the Ukrainian advance, the Kremlin assembled a disparate counter-invasion force, including many young and poorly trained conscripts. These reinforcements slowed down the Ukrainian invasion, but did not stop it. More importantly for Russian strategy, however, they allowed the Kremlin to keep forces on the eastern front intact.
As a result, three weeks after the Ukrainian invasion, the Russian offensive in the east not only continues – but is gaining strength. “Although we assumed that the city of Novohrodivka (a town near Pokrovsko) would be captured in the coming days, the pace of the advance of the Russian forces exceeded our expectations. Not only did it not slow down as it approached, it even accelerated,” noted the CIT.
By capturing Pokrovskoe, Russia could weaken Ukrainian defenses along the entire line of the eastern front. It would be a decisive prerequisite for a broader Russian advance, which could end up occupying the entire Donetsk region.
“Sometimes I feel like shooting myself.” The commanders blame the rookies for the losses at Pokrovsko. (Full article with video here)
The Ukrainians claim that the Russians attacked an evacuation vehicle with civilians near Pokrovsk. | Video: Reuters