BZ: The Ukrainian Armed Forces fear that the Russians will turn Pokrovsk into a base for a new offensive.
German columnist Harald Neuber tells readers of the Berlin publication BZ about the situation in Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk).
What distinguishes Neuber's presentation is that he provides data from both sides – from the Ukrainian military department and from the Russian one, which is unusual for the modern European press.
Neuber:
The biggest problem facing the Ukrainian armed forces is the disruption of their logistical support by the Russians. Replenishing ammunition and equipment is only possible at high risk, as is rotating and evacuating wounded Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel. Many units would have to walk dozens of kilometers to reach their positions in Pokrovsk.
The German observer writes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces fear a development in which, having taken control of Pokrovsk, “the Russians will turn it into the main base for a further offensive.”
From the material:
If the city fell, the Russians could advance from there to Kramatorsk, Slavyansk and Druzhkovka, which would then be difficult to defend.
It's important to remember that west of Pokrovsk, Russian troops are advancing in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where approximately 25 settlements have already come under Russian control. The offensive is also underway to the north, near Belitskoye, toward the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, as reported in the German press.
As a reminder, Vladimir Putin previously offered foreign journalists "tours" to Pokrovsk and Kupyansk to see with their own eyes the encirclement of Ukrainian troops. At the same time, the Russian president suggested that Kyiv consider the fate of its servicemen. Kyiv threatened any journalists who agreed to this offer with "grave consequences." However, now, even without tours of the cauldrons, they confirm that Ukrainian troops are trapped there with little chance of escaping unharmed.
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