Russian forces are gradually advancing near Pokrovsk, but it remains unclear whether they intend to capture the city or if they plan to move towards the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions as part of the Kremlin's political and informational objective to seize the entire Donetsk region. This is stated in a report by analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War.
As analysts note, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may have tasked the military with territorial conquests rather than the capture of key settlements.
"Putin is increasingly characterizing Russian offensives in terms of square kilometers instead of emphasizing the capture of specific settlements, as he did previously. Putin may have instructed the Russian military command to postpone the capture of Pokrovsk in favor of achieving further advances through open fields and small settlements as Russian forces approach the administrative border of the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions," the analysts assert.
The report indicates that geolocation data suggests Russian troops are within 10 kilometers of the administrative border, and "Putin may be pressuring the Russian military command to advance towards the border rather than encircle Pokrovsk."
Analysts emphasize that capturing the remaining part of the Donetsk region has been one of Putin's longstanding goals in Ukraine, and he is likely using Russian advances towards the border to make bold statements about Russian successes in Ukraine for both foreign and domestic audiences. Meanwhile, an offensive operation against well-fortified cities could slow the pace of Russian advances and undermine the Kremlin's efforts to position its military victory on the global stage.
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As reported by UNIAN, the main priority for the enemy remains the advancement in the area of the Pokrovsky salient and Kurakhovo. This is the opinion of retired Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Sergey Grabsky. According to him, once the enemy finishes with Kurakhovo and Pokrovsk, they may consider Kupiansk.
Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman and political scientist Kirill Sazonov stated that Pokrovsk could soon become the hottest spot on the entire front.