Over 100,000 Russian troops massed near Pokrovsk front

Thatʼs said Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia operational-strategic troop grouping, on Espreso TV.

“They’re trying to push north, more precisely northeast of Pokrovsk,” he said. “They’re attempting to seize and control territory. Unlike past offensives, this is a fight over relatively small settlements and long stretches of land between them.”

Trehubov noted the contrast with Russia’s winter campaign, when forces tried to encircle Pokrovsk from the west. “The settlements were packed more tightly then. Now they’re more spread out — which allows Russia to use its manpower advantage more aggressively. That’s their main edge: numbers,” he explained.

He added that the Russian forces are also heavily relying on glide bombs (KABs), calling them “one of their most powerful tools.” While Russian forces are attempting to gain an upper hand with drones, he emphasized that Ukrainian defense forces are holding their own in the UAV war.

“There’s a huge concentration of Russian personnel on this axis — more than 100,000 troops,” Trehubov said. “It’s a force that could, frankly, take on an entire European country. But they’ve massed it near Pokrovsk, and that’s where they’re trying to push forward. We’re using everything we’ve got to hold them back — and to inflict as many losses as possible.”

• Currently, the danger lies in professional Russian sabotage and assault units entering Pokrovsk.