Defense lines in Pokrovsk continue to sag, and in the “pocket” near the settlement of Promin, Russian Armed Forces units are advancing, a military expert explained. The Russians are exploiting every opportunity to infiltrate Ukrainian positions from the flanks. The key reason for gains in urban terrain is a numerical advantage over Ukraine’s troops.
Around 50 Russian soldiers, under cover of fog and riding motorcycles and modified cars, drove into Pokrovsk — showing that weather is also influencing the advance, said military expert and former SBU officer Ivan Stupak on NV media. Both sides are using the fog. On the one hand, Russians assume Ukrainian drones can’t fly and won’t see them. On the other, they also can’t use their drones and won’t spot Ukrainian ambushes. In Stupak’s view, neither side has an edge in these conditions because “the number of problems is growing for each.” Meanwhile, Russian troops sometimes hide for weeks and then emerge to ambush Ukrainians.
Stupak described how Russia’s advance in Pokrovsk is unfolding. He said a hundred-strong Russian unit first splits into small groups of 2–3–5. They move forward and try to slip through mines, fortifications, barbed wire and strike drones. Of the hundred Russian soldiers, only 20–30% make it to a basement in the city, the expert said. Then comes the next wave, when the next “pairs” and “triplets” link up with those who survived. At this stage, again only about 20–30% manage to reach the group. Once they gather 10–20 troops, they start setting ambushes and launching attacks on Ukrainian forces. Sometimes just 2–3 will carry out an assault, he noted.
“They’re able to execute more coordinated tasks inside the city. They can advance more cautiously, they can engage in some street fighting,” he said.
The expert also clarified what’s happening in Myrnohrad. Citing official statements by Ukraine’s General Staff, Stupak confirmed that logistics are likely not fully blocked and that some ground robotic systems and UAVs are still reaching the troops to deliver ammunition, water and food — and to evacuate the wounded.
“It’s unclear how long this will be possible, because the pressure is truly great and it isn’t easing — it’s constantly growing. I won’t even try to guess how many Russian troops are concentrated around Pokrovsk, because with each passing day there are more and more reports that additional forces have been brought in, and it’s simply impossible to count,” Stupak concluded.
On the morning of November 11, footage emerged from Pokrovsk showing a group of Russian troops entering the city. The video shows roughly a dozen motorcycles and about half a dozen cars, each carrying 5–10 Russian soldiers. Ukraine’s 7th Air Assault Brigade confirmed that, under cover of fog, a group of Russian soldiers did infiltrate - and that they are being systematically detected and neutralized.
