Ukraine's withdrawal route in Pokrovsk exposed, "steel fortress" collapsed

On July 28, Russian troops attacked the city of Pokrovsk from the east and south, causing the Ukrainian army's defense line there to completely collapse.

On July 28, Russia-24 TV channel quoted the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Mr. Pushilin, confirming that the Russian army (RFAF) began a direct attack on the city of Mirnograd (satellite city of Pokrovsk). The first clashes were recorded.

The head of the DPR confirmed information from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) that appeared the day before about the start of the RFAF offensive on Mirnograd. According to Pushilin, as of this morning, there is information that fighting is taking place on the outskirts of Mirnograd, Russian assault groups are trying to break into the city. The Ukrainian defense in the Pokrovsk direction is in an "extremely difficult" situation.

The first information about the RFAF's attack on Mirnograd appeared the day before from the AFU command in Pokrovsk itself. According to their information, the attack on the city began from the village of Novoekonomichesky, previously occupied by the RFAF, that is, from the east.

Since the Mirnograd direction was not as well defended as the Pokrovsk direction, RFAF commando and reconnaissance groups began to infiltrate the city from this direction, causing chaos and confusion among the Ukrainian troops defending the city.

AFU field sources also reported very strong activity of Russian UAVs and artillery in the area in and around Pokrovsk, which flattened the identified positions of the Ukrainian army. In the air, Russian fighter jets are targeting the enemy's fortified positions.

According to observers, the Russian army will not limit its firepower to an attack from the east; in the near future, there is a possibility of an attack from the south, cutting off the “gap” between Mirnograd and Pokrovs. And it is not excluded that there will be an attack in the northeast to close the lid on the “pot”.

The fact that AFU could lose this "steel fortress" would not only greatly change the situation on the Donbass battlefield, but also expose the unfortunate truth that AFU actually has "no defense line". Is the city of Pokrovsk really just a "transit station", or the final "retreat point" of AFU?

The city of Pokrovsk was once known as the “Maginot Line of Eastern Ukraine,” with a 30-kilometer-deep defensive belt. But the RFAF tore through the defenses in just 48 hours—not with “floods of steel,” but with “deep penetration tactics” by special forces and “swarm tactics” by FPV UAVs.

Even more ironically, the elite forces deployed by the Ukrainian army here are "less than half their strength" and even have to rely on wounded soldiers and militia to hold the fortress. This is not a steel fortress, but a "human wall".

After the collapse of the defense line in the city of Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian army could only retreat to more remote "third-line settlements": Merzhevaya, Slavyanka and Dobropiria. These places were small, scattered and weak, which was reflected in the following problems:

Geographical Disadvantages: These settlements have no natural barriers, especially the permanent structures and fortifications of the AFU are completely dependent on temporary shelters in the fields; so they can be broken by a single attack from Russian armored vehicles.

The dilemma: The Ukrainian army is now having to rely on its “borrowed reserves” to buy artillery shells, not to mention building defenses. One Ukrainian soldier complained to CNN: “We even have to dig trenches with shovels, while the volume of fortifications is so great and the time is so short.”

Two-front war: If the Russian army attacks the twin cities (Slavyansk and Kramatorsk) from the north, the Ukrainian army will have to choose between the Dnieper province and the twin cities. It is like a raw egg – no matter how hard you squeeze it, it will break easily.

It can be seen that in this attack on Pokrovsk, the RFAF used and combined many tactics. For example, using TOS-1 thermobaric artillery shells: Each shell costs 30,000 USD, but it can instantly vaporize an entire row of Ukrainian military positions and can be called "cheap non-nuclear weapons".

The fall of Pokrovsk was a declaration of the collapse of Kiev's "fortress" strategy. It should be remembered that behind Pokrovsk was a flat plain with few large cities for the AFU to turn into a defensive fortress, and the Russian army accelerated its advance.

But the question is, if the Russian army chooses to bypass the twin cities (Slavyansk and Kramatorsk) and head south to Zaporizhia, or west to Dnipropetrovsk, how long can the Ukrainian army's "doomsday line" last? (photo source Military Review, Kyiv Post, Liveuamap).

Russian reconnaissance and commando forces infiltrated the city of Pokrovsk, causing panic among the defending Ukrainian troops. Source X.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/duong-rut-cua-rut-cua-ukraine-o-pokrovsk-bi-lo-phao-dai-thep-sup-do-post2149041675.html