Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The operation follows months of tense fighting near Pokrovsk, a vital stronghold in the Donbas region.
Ukrainian troops have dealt a heavy blow to Russia’s army, reclaiming ground and eliminating isolated enemy groups in a sweeping counteroffensive on the eastern front.
Earlier this summer, Russian forces appeared to gain momentum after breaking through Ukrainian lines near Dobropillia, roughly 36 kilometres north of Pokrovsk.
In August, hundreds of Russian troops pushed more than 15 kilometres deep into Ukrainian territory, exploiting weak defensive positions.
That advance has since turned into a costly trap.
Step by step
According to Ukrainian military sources, Kyiv’s counterattack has encircled and destroyed several Russian contingents, cutting them off from supplies and reinforcements.
Step by step, Ukrainian units have cleared those isolated pockets in a series of coordinated assaults.
Miscommunication and chaos
Reports suggest that senior Russian officers remained unaware of their troops’ dire situation for days, misled by false reports from lower-ranking commanders.
Once the scale of the crisis became clear, Moscow ordered urgent mechanised counterattacks around the village of Shakhove.
Those rescue efforts quickly collapsed. Russian armored columns attempting to advance were halted by extensive minefields, then overwhelmed by successive Ukrainian drone assaults.
The First Azov Corps claimed that in just one week, Russian forces lost 1,226 soldiers, 23 armoured vehicles, 130 transport units, and 39 artillery systems.
Trapped and targeted
Drone footage released by Ukrainian forces showed Russian soldiers taking cover in anti-tank ditches as unmanned aerial vehicles circled overhead.
Many of those troops were later targeted by precision drone attacks.
Ukrainian snipers, operating from newly retaken tree lines, also picked off soldiers attempting to flee.
Despite the severe losses, Russian forces have continued their pressure further south.
Fighting remains fierce around Pokrovsk, where Moscow’s troops are seeking to encircle the strategic city.
Battle for Pokrovsk
The Kremlin views Pokrovsk as a key logistics and transport hub for Ukraine’s military operations across the eastern front. In response,
Kyiv has redeployed elite special forces to reinforce the city’s defences amid reports of heavy artillery duels and urban skirmishes.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, said his troops were holding the line against what he described as a “multi-thousand enemy” offensive.
He dismissed Russian claims that Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk had been surrounded, calling them “false and exaggerated.”
Sources: Ukrainian General Staff statements; BBC; Reuters; Associated Press
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation
