Ukraine pushes back near Pokrovsk as Armed Forces retake two villages

Serhiy Zgurets, director of the media and consulting company Defense Express, said this on Espreso TV.

“We rely on reports from the General Staff, because these settlements (Novoekonomichne and Udachne) are located both to the east and west of Pokrovsk, where the enemy is trying to push through from different directions. 

Novoekonomichne, Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad — they are all along one road. The General Staff reported that Novoekonomichne has been liberated, although there had been no prior reports that the enemy had captured it. Still, this confirms that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are now conducting a series of counterattacks on multiple fronts, primarily around Pokrovsk, which prevents the enemy from advancing,” he said.

Photo: Ukraine-Russia war live map, August 22-30

Zgurets noted that Novoekonomichne lies to the east, Udachne to the west.

“But the liberation of Udachne should be interpreted cautiously, because the frontline is currently porous. We lack sufficient manpower, and the process of enemy clearance is complex. Some Russian troops could still be hiding in basements in Udachne until a full sweep is complete. These clearance and assault operations are being carried out by the 425th Assault Regiment ‘Skelia,’ effectively demonstrating decisive steps in driving the enemy back from approaches to Pokrovsk. Although the situation around Pokrovsk remains very difficult,” he added.

The military expert stressed that Russia is redeploying forces to concentrate troops and attempt a breakthrough toward Druzhkivka, creating northern threats to both Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk by trying to bypass Ukraine’s supply lines.

“I believe Pokrovsk is Russia’s main target — the focal point of its efforts not only in 2025 but possibly into 2026. For now, enemy advances around Pokrovsk have been stopped by active actions of the Armed Forces. The Novopavlivka sector has sagged slightly, but today there were reports that Ukrainian forces pushed the enemy out of certain settlements on the Dnipropetrovsk-Donetsk border. Counterattacks are underway, showing that the Armed Forces have reserves and capacity to respond to the enemy, even if Russia has superiority in manpower, aircraft, glide bombs, and so on,” Zgurets concluded.