Pokrovsk-Dobropillia front is a vast "gray zone" with fierce battles – National Guard captain

Captain Andriy Illienko of the National Guard’s Svoboda battalion, part of the Rubizh brigade, said this on Espreso TV.

“Our Svoboda battalion of the Rubizh brigade has been carrying out missions on the Pokrovsk-Dobropillia front for quite some time. Intense fighting continues. The enemy is trying to press its offensive, but after a series of Ukrainian counteroffensive and clearing operations, its advance has been stopped, and an operation to destroy it is ongoing,” Illienko said.

He stressed that the situation is still extremely difficult.

“Fierce battles continue, but a number of measures have helped stabilize the situation to some extent. The situation has its own specifics: it’s a vast ‘gray zone,’ with extremely heavy use of strike drones and FPV drones that are already operating deep in the rear. There are many infantry clashes — direct firefights at close range,” the officer noted.

He added that the battlefield stretches for many kilometers, making it effectively one large “gray zone.”

“The enemy mainly acts in infantry groups, though not exclusively. But this is essentially a huge ‘gray zone’ where infantry and drone battles take place. And the situation remains dynamic,” Illienko concluded.