Currently, Pokrovsk presents a greater challenge for the Russian occupiers than Bakhmut did at the time, primarily because Mirnograd obstructs their advance towards the city from the north.
This was stated by military expert, flight instructor, and retired colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Roman Svitan, in an interview with the Commander-in-Chief.
According to the expert, the enemy in the Pokrovsk direction has not only a military-political objective but also an economic one – to reach the "Krasnoarmeyskaya Western" mine to prevent us from extracting coking coal.
Roman Svitan emphasized that the Russian occupiers will not be able to gain full control over Pokrovsk as long as our garrison in the Kurakhove bulge holds the left flank of the Russians from advancing towards Pokrovsk from the south and southwest.
"Pokrovsk is more difficult for the Russians than even Bakhmut. This is because, in Bakhmut, there was some connection with Chasiv Yar, while the actual connection between Pokrovsk and Mirnograd is significantly stronger in a defensive stance than in the Bakhmut direction," – stated Roman Svitan.
The military expert predicts that, given the current configuration of the front, we could prevent the enemy from capturing Pokrovsk in 2025. And even though the Russian command will deploy all forces and resources to accomplish this task, they will likely first need to push Ukrainian troops out of the Kurakhovo area.
