As Russian troops push deeper into the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, concerns are mounting within Ukraine’s military and civil society that the situation is slipping out of control. Observers warn that Kyiv’s forces are overstretched and undermanned across the 1,000 km frontline, leaving cities like Pokrovsk and nearby Myrnohrad vulnerable to encirclement. Despite Ukrainian claims that the situation remains “under control,” Russian forces have gained footholds in parts of the city through relentless assaults and drone strikes. Manpower shortages, rising desertions, and recruitment challenges have weakened Ukraine’s defenses, forcing commanders into difficult strategic decisions. Critics fear that holding Pokrovsk at all costs could lead to another devastating loss reminiscent of earlier battles in Bakhmut and Avdiivka, according to the Financial Times. The FT writes:
As Russian forces advanced deeper into the battered Ukrainian stronghold of Pokrovsk this month, figures in Ukraine’s outspoken military and civil society circles pleaded with their leadership: pull back before it is too late.
“Despite the official bravado, the situation is more than complicated and less than controlled,” former deputy defence minister Vitaliy Deynega, the founder of Come Back Alive — a Ukrainian foundation supporting the military — wrote on Facebook. Ukrainian forces, Deynega said on November 4, “need to get out of these cities while it is possible”. […]
Ukraine has long struggled to replenish its frontline brigades through conscription targeting able-bodied men aged 25 to 60. Each kilometre of the frontline is on average guarded by just four to seven Ukrainian infantrymen, Maria Berlinska, a Ukrainian volunteer with close ties to the military, claimed in October. […]
“I have this concern that, if not managed correctly, the battle for Pokrovsk may have an impact on the perception of the armed forces,” said Rochan Consulting’s Muzyka.
“If people see [that] we’re seeing Bakhmut all over again, or Avdiivka, or Vuhledar, people will have no incentive to join, out of fear of ending up in the same situation.”
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