Myrnohrad in operational encirclement, 5 km short of classic encirclement – Ukrainian Witness
The Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad urban area is in a precarious situation, with the "gray zone" spreading rapidly on the maps and Russian propaganda actively pushing claims of full encirclement. Although this is not the case, the situation looks extremely serious. Compared to the now fully "gray" Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad may appear better off, but that’s deceptive: as of the evening of November 4, only 5 kilometers remain before a potential full encirclement.
The Ukrainian Witness project spoke with a serviceman from a brigade operating in Myrnohrad and its outskirts. Read on Censor.NET.
What is happening in Myrnohrad right now?
Myrnohrad has been in operational encirclement for quite some time. The issue has drawn more attention now because of the worsening situation in Pokrovsk. All routes to Myrnohrad are monitored by enemy FPV drones. "People get here purely on grit," the soldier says. "And the situation is deteriorating. The Russians have pushed our troops deeper into Pokrovsk, and only a few streets in the northern part of the city remain under Ukrainian control. The enemy is also present near Krasnyi Lyman and occasionally appears on the Pokrovsk–Dobropillia and Rodynske–Hryshyne routes. All this gives the Russians more opportunities to further cut logistics to Myrnohrad."
Why did this happen?
The soldier identifies logistics as the main problem. It is extremely complicated and, in some areas, almost non-existent. Major issues arose earlier this year when Russian forces managed to break through one of the brigade’s defensive sectors. "And frankly, it’s not surprising," the soldier says, "because they had no infantry." The enemy flanked Ukrainian positions and was eventually driven out but at the cost of heavy losses.
The Russians gradually built up their forces and eventually formed the Dobropillia salient, from which they systematically destroyed Ukrainian logistics. "We keep falling into the same trap," the defender says. "Sudzha, Kurakhove, Velyka Novosilka, Vuhledar, Bakhmut, Popasna, Sievierodonetsk, and many other settlements, we lost them long before the enemy actually entered, all because of destroyed logistics." He adds, "Instead of preserving our troops and withdrawing to more advantageous positions, we kept holding on heroically and as a result, we lost both the unit and the town."
When did it all begin?
It became clear by mid-summer that the enemy would cut logistics to Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad but the groundwork had been laid much earlier. "We began losing the technological war," the soldier says. "Back in January–February, enemy FPV drones couldn’t disrupt logistics because Russian drone operators’ positions were under constant fire. But in early spring, the Russians set up a ‘curtain’, a dense, heavily saturated electronic warfare line stretching from Novohrodivka eastward toward Kostiantynivka. This deprived our forces of the ability to target Russian pilots. Aircraft were a rare sight in this sector, and even then, they were almost never used to hit Russian drone crews.
A solution was found only in the second half of summer, too late. By then, the Russians had begun mass deployment of FPV drone "motherships." "They’ve crippled our logistics to the point where people now walk tens of kilometers to reach their positions," the defender says. "It’s not a route you can cover in one day, and evacuation has become an extremely difficult process."
There are also problems with fortification preparation. The military-civil administrations responsible for this work often fail to consider the needs of the troops. As a result, trenches may appear behind Ukrainian lines, crippling logistics and cutting access to positions. That’s exactly what happened in Myrnohrad. "We argued with the diggers, made extra passages and it all ended with reprimands and internal investigations against our commanders who tried to restore logistics somehow," the soldier says. "But we were told we were undermining Myrnohrad’s defense capability."
What to expect?
No matter how events unfold, the situation looks grim. From high-rise buildings in Pokrovsk, Russian drone operators can reach as far as Dobropillia, meaning logistics over a 20–30 km stretch to the north will be destroyed. There are no signs of improvement.
While the fighting for Pokrovsk continues, we are losing many troops. "What’s left here is the old guard," the soldier says. "You can’t just squander them like that but that’s exactly what we’re doing." It is unclear who will replace the fighters when the trap between Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad finally closes.
Reinforcements of special forces and assault units have been deployed to the area, but this does little to solve the core issue — logistics. "You can send in 200,000 people if you want," the defender says, "but they’ll still have to walk under endless FPV drone carousels."
