Ukraine losing control of Pokrovsk, retaking it would require several brigades — military analyst

Military analyst Vasyl Pekhno shared the information on Espreso TV.

“If we describe the overall situation in Pokrovsk, Ukraine is losing this city — everyone needs to understand that. I’ve seen on social media that after reports of special operations by the Defence Intelligence and claims that Kyrylo Budanov and Oleksandr Syrskyi were operating near the city, people began to believe it would soon be cleared. Unfortunately, that won’t happen. Ukraine is losing the city. To retake it would require deploying several brigades, and even then, it’s unclear whether that would succeed. The Russians have deeply infiltrated and are spreading through the city. Videos already show Russians on the northern outskirts — a key area for holding the sector,” Pekhno explained.

The analyst emphasized that the occupying Russian army is effectively engulfing the city from all sides. He added that Ukrainian forces currently lack the ability to strike Russian positions on Pokrovsk’s southern outskirts, from where Russian troops are advancing most actively.

“Additionally, DeepState reports heavy fighting on the western outskirts, along the road to Hryshyne. The video released yesterday by Ukrainian intelligence shows that’s where the main action took place. This means there’s virtually no Ukrainian presence or ability to hit the Russians in the southern part of the city — the main entry point for Russian forces. DeepState accurately described the situation — the occupying Russian army is consuming Pokrovsk,” he added.

• On November 3, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that about one-third of all battles and half of Russia’s glide-bomb strikes are taking place in Pokrovsk.
• During the day on November 4, 154 combat engagements occurred along the Russian-Ukrainian front, with Ukrainian defense forces repelling 52 Russian attacks in the Pokrovsk sector.
• On November 4, DeepState reported that the situation in Pokrovsk remains critical.