Russian troops push for strategic breakthrough to Ukraine’s Kostiantynivka - military expert

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"The Ukrainian Defense Forces are conducting a series of successful counterattacks in the Pokrovsk sector. Ukrainian defenders have effectively seized the tactical initiative and are preventing Russian occupiers from advancing deeper, particularly from reaching the administrative borders with the Dnipropetrovsk region and creating a threat of operational encirclement of the Pokrovsk agglomeration. The fighting is going well near the village of Pishchane, where Ukrainian Defense Forces are carrying out counterattacks to stop the Russians from advancing toward the Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka highway. Gaining control of this logistical route would otherwise allow Russian invaders to carry out a flanking maneuver toward Kostiantynivka," commented Dmytro Sniehirov.

According to Sniehirov, heavy fighting continues near the village of Shevchenko, which lies on the opposite flank of the Pokrovsk sector. Russian forces are attempting to reclaim positions they had previously lost. However, thanks to the successful actions of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, the situation in this sector has been significantly stabilized. In the Shevchenko area, Ukrainian forces have observed the redeployment of Russian operational reserves. As a result, Russian troops’ tactical objective is clear: to regain control over the positions they lost.

"As for the Toretsk sector, the situation is difficult: the occupiers continue to push toward the Toretsk–Kostiantynivka highway, deploying significant operational reserves from Russia’s 8th Combined Arms Army. The Russians understand the strategic importance of Toretsk — its heights allowed Ukrainian defenders to control the Russian rear logistics and prevent breakthroughs toward Kostiantynivka, which remains a key strategic objective for Russian occupiers. As we can see, in both the Pokrovsk and Toretsk sectors, Russia's main goal is to advance toward Kostiantynivka. The main battles will center around control over Kostiantynivka," the military expert emphasized.

• On April 28, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that 168 combat clashes took place on the Russian-Ukrainian front over the past day. In the Toretsk sector, Russian troops launched 9 attacks. In the Pokrovsk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled 64 Russian assault actions.