Russian army tries to encircle Ukrainian defenders in Pokrovsk direction - ISW
As part of the offensive to capture Pokrovsk, the Russian army is currently conducting two tactical operations. The occupiers are trying to encircle Ukrainian positions between Myrnohrad and Hrodivka.
According to Censor.NET, this is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The first tactical operation along the Novohrodivka- Hrodivka line east of Pokrovsk to capture Myrnohrad and advance to the outskirts of Pokrovsk.
The second tactical operation along the Selydove-Ukrainsk-Hirnyk line southeast of Pokrovsk is aimed at expanding the Russian grouping in the Pokrovsk direction and eliminating vulnerabilities for counterattacks by Ukrainian troops.
The Russian military command probably sees both of these tactical operations as desirable preconditions for launching an intensive offensive against Pokrovsk itself.
Recently, Russian troops surrounded Ukrainian positions southeast of Pokrovsk along the Karlivka Reservoir and forced Ukrainian forces to retreat from their limited positions in the area.
It is likely that they hope to achieve a similar effect by attempting to encircle Ukrainian positions between Myrnohrad and Hrodivka, although it remains unclear whether Russian forces will be able to maintain a relatively rapid pace of advance through the relatively large city of Myrnohrad and its surroundings.
As a reminder, on 29 August, it became known that the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had been working for several days in a row with the brigades defending the Pokrovsk area. He stressed that the situation there is currently the most difficult.
