Who will be responsible for the fall of the Pokrovsk stronghold?

The Ukrainian brigade commander gave false intelligence, leading to the collapse of the Ukrainian defense line and the countdown to Pokrovsk's fate began.

According to the Russian news agency TASS on October 28, the Russian Armed Forces (RFAF) announced that they continued to advance into the Pokrovsk city area. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the defense system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in Pokrovsk had completely collapsed and the Ukrainian defenders there were surrounded.

Footage captured by a Russian reconnaissance UAV shows that 80% of Pokrovsk is now under RFAF control; while Ukrainian forces have only a small area left to defend. However, the AFU leadership seems to have found a scapegoat for the fall of Pokrovsk.

According to Ukrainian media reports on October 30, the collapse of the defense line near Pokrovsk was not due to Russian fire, but due to internal chaos. The AFU accused Colonel Shuma, commander of the 32nd Motorized Rifle Brigade, of misreporting the combat situation, which led to a major gap in the defense line, turning it into a breakthrough point for the RFAF.

Even as the Russians began to break through the 32nd Brigade's defenses, the Ukrainians on the adjacent defenses were unaware that their left flank had been wiped out. However, the problems did not end there, as internal contradictions within the AFU command structure were also exposed in this battle.

AFU Commander-in-Chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, was determined to defend Pokrovsk to the end, believing that it was an important fulcrum of the AFU's strategic defense line. However, former AFU Commander-in-Chief, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi (currently the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK), publicly criticized this tactical choice.

Mr. Zaluzhnyi believes that the determination to hold positions without any advantage is a mistake; he argues that "an orderly retreat can save lives and is more meaningful than a chaotic run." The disagreement between the two senior military officials not only affects the effectiveness of battlefield command, but also puts the AFU in a more difficult position.

At the same time, the RFAF's tactical and equipment advantages further aggravate the AFU's passive situation on the battlefield. The RFAF has broken through the AFU's defense system through "suicide squad" attack tactics, small-scale fast-moving attacks, and the use of modern weapons such as FPV UAVs and guided bombs.

In particular, Russian Su-34 bombers and FPV UAVs dealt a fatal blow to the Ukrainian army's logistical supply lines and reinforcements. The AFU's weak air defense and fire support capabilities left the city of Pokrovsk completely surrounded by Russian firepower.

The defeat at the Pokrovsk front was not only a major setback in the Ukrainian war, but also raised widespread doubts in Ukraine about the decisions of the government and the army. Ukrainians criticized President Zelensky and senior military officials for hiding the true situation of the war and not revealing the truth to the public in a timely manner.

General Syrskyi continues to insist that Pokrovsk is not surrounded and that Ukrainian forces are still conducting operations to "destroy Russian special forces". However, this statement clearly contradicts the real situation and exacerbates discontent within Ukraine.

Moreover, the Ukrainian government’s operational strategy has also been criticized. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s conservatism in abandoning Pokrovsk appears to be an attempt to demonstrate Ukraine’s determination to withstand the RFAF’s immense pressure to ensure continued aid from the West.

But the relationship between President Zelensky and General Syrskyi has also begun to show cracks. According to British military analyst Alexander Mercuris on his personal channel, for the first time, General Syrskyi refused to comply with President Zelensky's orders.

Mercuris expert said that President Zelensky ordered General Syrskyi to launch an attack on Donetsk, but General Syrsky refused, because the order from the President was impossible to carry out, because the AFU no longer had enough forces and resources to conduct offensive operations.

Merkuris is not 100% sure about the authenticity of this information. However, if such an incident happens, this will be the first time that General Syrskyi has “disobeyed orders” from President Zelensky. This also shows the dire situation of the Ukrainian army on the front line.

The defeat in the Battle of Pokrovsk sounded a wake-up call for the war in Ukraine. Internal conflicts within the Ukrainian command, the tactical superiority of the RFAF; the contradiction between the Ukrainian government and military leadership and the actual situation on the battlefield, are all factors that deserve to be deeply examined behind this battle. (photo source: Military Review, Kyiv Post, TASS).

Topwar View source link

Original post link Copy link

https://topwar.ru/273188-zapadnyj-jekspert-glavkom-vsu-vpervye-otkazalsja-vypolnjat-prikaz-zelenskogo.html

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/ai-se-phai-chiu-trach-nhiem-cho-su-sup-do-cu-diem-pokrovsk-post2149066212.html