Kathrine Frich
The war in Ukraine has been defined by grinding offensives, brutal losses and stories that rarely emerge from the front lines.
One recent account offers a rare and disturbing glimpse into how some Russian assaults are unfolding on the ground.
What began as another push for territory instead turned into chaos, leaving behind staggering numbers and deepening questions about how the war is being fought.
A city under pressure
Pokrovsk has long been a strategic objective for Moscow. The eastern Ukrainian city is a major transport and logistics hub and is often described by military analysts as a gateway to Donetsk.
Russian commanders have concentrated tens of thousands of troops in the area in recent months.
Ukraine, anticipating renewed pressure, has rushed reinforcements including special forces units to prevent a breakthrough.
Despite these efforts, fighting around the city has intensified, with both sides suffering heavy losses.
A medic’s account
Details of one failed assault emerged through a video testimony by a Russian army medic serving with the 39th Separate Guards Motorised Rifle Brigade.
Her account was first circulated on social media and later cited by Western media.
“They ran, in short, into a Ukrainian minefield and it just tore them apart,” she said. “We had to run, the medics, to pull them out.”
She described treating soldiers aged just 19 and 20, many with catastrophic injuries.
“One had his heel torn off, another came in with his shoulder through his arm,” she added.
Piles of losses
Footage from the area, which cannot be independently verified and is too graphic to show, reportedly depicts retreating Russian soldiers moving through fields strewn with bodies and blast debris.
The medic claimed her unit’s losses were vast.
“Look, I have these lists, I have 48 pages. These are the dead, these are ours… In total, if you count, 790 people,” she said.
According to leaked documents cited in the report, the same brigade also had more than 900 soldiers listed as AWOL as of December 2, pointing to serious discipline problems.
Jack Watling, a defence expert at the Royal United Services Institute, has estimated that Russia is losing more than 20,000 soldiers a month in the wider Pokrovsk sector.
One recent account offers a rare and disturbing glimpse into how some Russian assaults are unfolding on the ground.
What began as another push for territory instead turned into chaos, leaving behind staggering numbers and deepening questions about how the war is being fought.
A city under pressure
Pokrovsk has long been a strategic objective for Moscow. The eastern Ukrainian city is a major transport and logistics hub and is often described by military analysts as a gateway to Donetsk.
Russian commanders have concentrated tens of thousands of troops in the area in recent months.
Ukraine, anticipating renewed pressure, has rushed reinforcements including special forces units to prevent a breakthrough.
Despite these efforts, fighting around the city has intensified, with both sides suffering heavy losses.
A medic’s account
Details of one failed assault emerged through a video testimony by a Russian army medic serving with the 39th Separate Guards Motorised Rifle Brigade.
Her account was first circulated on social media and later cited by Western media.
“They ran, in short, into a Ukrainian minefield and it just tore them apart,” she said. “We had to run, the medics, to pull them out.”
She described treating soldiers aged just 19 and 20, many with catastrophic injuries.
“One had his heel torn off, another came in with his shoulder through his arm,” she added.
Piles of losses
Footage from the area, which cannot be independently verified and is too graphic to show, reportedly depicts retreating Russian soldiers moving through fields strewn with bodies and blast debris.
The medic claimed her unit’s losses were vast.
“Look, I have these lists, I have 48 pages. These are the dead, these are ours… In total, if you count, 790 people,” she said.
According to leaked documents cited in the report, the same brigade also had more than 900 soldiers listed as AWOL as of December 2, pointing to serious discipline problems.
Jack Watling, a defence expert at the Royal United Services Institute, has estimated that Russia is losing more than 20,000 soldiers a month in the wider Pokrovsk sector.
Sources: Ukrainian military statements, social media footage, Express.
