The troops of the Russian Federation are trying to take Pokrovsk in a semi-circle, they do not have the strength to storm “head on” – OSUV “Khortytsia”

Russian troops are bypassing Pokrovsk in Donetsk region from the west, trying to encircle it, Viktor Tregubov, spokesman for the Khortytsia operational-strategic military group, said on Radio Svoboda (Svoboda.Ranok project).

According to him, this is exactly the kind of tactics used by the Russian army, since they do not have the resources to attack Pokrovsk “head on”.

“The Russians simply do not have the resources to storm the city head-on, as they did before in other settlements. Firstly, they have already significantly asked for resources, they have squandered that resource, and secondly, let’s be honest, Pokrovsk is not just any village… Now they are trying to take villages – “bite off” one small village at a time in order to take the city into half ring It is absolutely obvious: if they had the opportunity to take Pokrovsk head-on, they would do it,” said Tregubov.

He added that the Russian army is trying to cut off routes and logistical supplies.

When asked whether the number of Russian forces in the Pokrovsky direction had increased, which was previously mentioned in a report by the US Institute for the Study of War ISW, Tregubov said that “the number has changed” but declined to give details.

“… She has changed a little (quantity – ed.) due to relocation from Kurakhivskoye, but I will not elaborate. In principle, let’s say, the pressure in the entire area of ​​our responsibility does not change much,” the spokesman said.

The other day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in an interview with Polish mass media that the most difficult situation on the front is in the east of Ukraine, where there is currently a large concentration of Russian troops and equipment, and where the Ukrainian military is smaller. The President added that there is not enough aid at the front and, according to him, it is primarily not a matter of the number of people – currently there are brigades that are staffed with 60-70% weapons due to the delay in the delivery of aid from Ukraine’s partners.

According to the observations of the Institute for the Study of War on January 13, Russian troops are cutting roads to the east and west of Pokrovsk in an attempt to surround the city.

The DeepState project and the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the Russian army in the first days of 2025 is actively capturing new territories to the south, southeast and east of Pokrovsk.