First battles for Pokrovsk may begin in coming weeks - military expert 

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"There is currently some information circulating online, primarily from Russian sources. They claim to be making significant advances and seem to suspect that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have a hidden plan, indicating that something might be amiss. However, the reports from the Ukrainian Armed Forces tell a different story. Our military reports that they are holding back the enemy with all their strength in the Pokrovsk direction. I won't speculate on how long Pokrovsk can hold out, but the fighting for the town could begin very soon," Stupak said.

According to the expert, if Russian troops manage to occupy Pokrovsk, it will pose a significant threat to the Dnipropetrovsk region.

"The Russians are more than 10 kilometres away from Pokrovsk. However, given the size of the agglomeration, it is very difficult to determine exactly how far they are from the town. Personally, I expect the fighting for the town of Pokrovsk to start in the coming weeks. A little later, the Russians will likely start using artillery and aircraft more actively. Because the foothold they have today does not allow them to use high-explosive bombs and helicopters. However, the bigger risk lies in what is situated outside the town of Pokrovsk, particularly the Dnipropetrovsk region," he added.

• Over the past 24 hours on September 2, 197 combat clashes occurred between the two armies. Russian forces were most active in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhove and Vremivka directions.
• Officer of the 59th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade, Serhiy Tsehotskyi, said that the decision to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Novohrodivka, Donetsk region, was made because the town had a disadvantageous geographical location.