Russia reaches offense capacity limit in Donetsk region — Ukrainian officer

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"Currently, the Russians are effectively carrying out their operational task on the front line — capturing Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Nothing has changed. They are particularly interested in Pokrovsk, which is an economic target due to the presence of coking coal mines. Capturing Pokrovsk is important for the Russians economically, as it allows them to remove a competitor from the metallurgical sector, since Ukraine was among the top ten most developed countries in the metallurgy industry before the full-scale invasion," explained Ryzhenko.

Andriy Ryzhenko emphasized that Russia's economic and military situation could impact the offensive capabilities of its army. Currently, they are conducting an offensive in the Donetsk region at the limits of their capabilities.

"The Russians are indeed advancing in the Donetsk region, although slowly. I don't have detailed information on the composition of forces, especially in the Pokrovsk sector, but the Russians are truly at the limits of their capabilities. This is the point after which they will no longer be able to continue the offensive or conduct any offensive operations at all. Several factors indicate this, including the economic situation in Russia. Despite the statements from the Russian leadership, their economy is already showing alarming signs. The military situation is no better because if everything were truly fine, Putin wouldn’t have asked North Korea for military aid," he added.

• On January 24, military expert Ivan Stupak stated that the Russian army is likely planning to bypass Pokrovsk through the Dnipropetrovsk region to "suppress" the city and force the Ukrainian Armed Forces to retreat.
• On January 26, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported 167 combat clashes on the Russian-Ukrainian front with the heaviest fighting in the Pokrovsk direction.