NATO believes that Russian troops will slow down after Pokrovsk if it falls: "Ukrainians have prepared line of fortifications"
Analysts of the North Atlantic Alliance expect that the advance of Russian troops after Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, will slow down if they manage to capture it.
According to Censor.NET, citing Yevropeiska Pravda, this was stated by a NATO official who spoke on condition of anonymity before the ministerial meeting in Brussels.
He noted that Russian troops have recently made sharp advances, seizing new territory.
"It is now clear that the Ukrainian front line is under increasing pressure. There was a period when I talked about the Russians advancing 10 meters a day, but now in some places we see changes of up to 10 kilometers a day," the Alliance representative said.
At the same time, he emphasized, it was "simple territory" and in the future the Ukrainian army will be able to hold back the onslaught more effectively.
"We expect the advance to slow down after Pokrovsk, as the Ukrainians have prepared a line of fortifications there. We expect stronger resistance," the NATO official said.
When asked by the EP, however, the official clarified that he did not consider the capture of Pokrovsk to be absolutely inevitable.
"I will not predict whether or not Pokrovsk will fall, or when it might happen, but Russia does have momentum now that plays in favor of it," he added.
According to the official, forecasts regarding the change in the trend of the front line and the possibility of a Ukrainian counteroffensive are more cautious.
"The winter weather will have an impact - after all, mud in the fields hinders the advancement of the front line. However, the main thing that can stop the Russian advance is military personnel and a sufficient number of necessary weapons," he added.
