A Ukrainian infantry commander says the Kremlin appears eager to declare full control of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region by New Year, but cautioned that Russian propaganda should be treated with skepticism.
Vladyslav Pervukhin, commander of an infantry company in the “Svoboda” 3rd Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine’s 4th Operational Brigade “Rubezh,” described the situation on a broadcast of Novosti.Live.
“They’re throwing everything at this - manpower, KABs [guided aerial bombs], aircraft. Most likely they want to announce the full capture of Pokrovsk by New Year. Maybe they’ll say it — who knows how far their propaganda will go. But the fact remains: Pokrovsk isn’t theirs; they haven’t managed to take it,” Pervukhin said.
He added that over the past week Russian forces tried to skirt Pokrovsk from the Dobropillia direction, sending roughly 30 tanks and armored fighting vehicles, along with quad bikes, motorcycles and infantry. “All of it was completely destroyed, and for several days after, our drone pilots found and finished off those who scattered into tree lines, sheds and buildings,” he said. He described Ukraine’s defenses as stable and urged that “all Kremlin statements should be divided by two - if not more.”
Pervukhin said civilians remain in Pokrovsk on both the Ukrainian-held and Russian-occupied sides. “The enemy is taking out those who decided to wait for Russia. On our side, there was a recent case of a man walking 15 kilometers on foot from Bilytske. Why people stay so long is a philosophical question. Our people believe they must stand on their land to the end, although that doesn’t always align with logic, unfortunately,” he said.
In an interview published Dec. 29, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russian forces control roughly half of Pokrovsk. He said Russia is also attempting to advance toward Grishino and around Myrnohrad but has not achieved success.
On Dec. 29, analysts with the DeepState project reported that Russian forces had taken half of Myrnohrad and new positions east of Pokrovsk.
