What was the fighting like on the Pokrovsk front in August?

In August, fighting on the Pokrovsk front was extremely fierce. The Russian army launched a major attrition attack on this front.

In August, fighting on the Pokrovsk front was quite fierce. The Russian Army (RFAF) conducted a large-scale "infiltration" on the northern front, making significant progress. According to the "Commission Z" channel, the RFAF first captured the village of Novy Shahove, advanced 1 km west, and then advanced north again, capturing the area from Vilne, Kucheriv Yar, Zolotyi Kolodyaz, to Rubizhne.

Then, following the Zolotyi Kolodyaz forest belt, the Russian army broke through along Highway T0514 and attacked Petrivka. This total breakthrough length of about 18 km is considered quite fast in the current trench warfare between Russia and Ukraine.

At the same time, the Russians advanced west of Shahove, attacking from Kucheriv Yar in three directions: to the north, they penetrated Vesele and advanced several kilometers along three forest belts; to the west, they cut off the Ukrainian supply route to Kucheriv Yar and almost reached the eastern outskirts of Zolotyi Kolodyaz; to the east, they also advanced 2.5 kilometers.

If the Russians can hold their eastern positions, reinforce and continue to advance east, they could encircle Ukrainian forces along the Sofiivka-Shahovoe line, which was probably their original plan. Even if they fail, the RFAF could still force Ukrainian forces along this line to retreat.

Judging by the current situation, the Russians have largely regained the positions they lost earlier, but whether they can hold them remains unclear. However, the success of this incursion alone shows that the Ukrainian army (AFU) has a somewhat weak defense in the area north of Pokrovsk.

A video released on August 28 also illustrates the point: Russian artillery and FPV UAVs bombard a building south of the village of Nove Shakhove. This suggests that after the AFU recaptured the village two days earlier, the RFAF was unable to dislodge them, leading to a stalemate in the area.

According to the Military Chronicle channel, the AFU also actively launched a counterattack between Novoekonomichne and Myrolyubivka, penetrating several positions. Some AFU units even crossed the Toretsky River and advanced to Mykolaivka. However, under pressure from the Russians, they retreated south of Novoekonomichne.

This AFU counterattack actually had two objectives: on the one hand, they wanted to break the RFAF defenses and cause panic in the Russians; on the other hand, they may have wanted to rescue the Ukrainian 79th Brigade, which was trapped in Mylolyubivka. But there is still no precise information about who is actually in control of Mylolyubivka.

Some sources say that the RFAF has recaptured Mylolyubivka, while others say it is still in the hands of the Ukrainian army. The current situation is chaotic, shrouded in the “fog of war”.

Another video from the same day shows the RFAF advancing north of Lysivka, located on the southern and southeastern outskirts of Pokrovsk. The Ukrainian 155th Brigade is blocking them with artillery fire and FPV drones. But Lisivka appears to have been completely captured by the Russians.

Lisivka is no ordinary place, as it is the last line of defense between Pokrovsk and Mirnorad. If the RFAF were to capture it, they could move between the two cities, cutting them off, or attack Pokrovsk from the southeast and Mirnorad from the southwest. This would result in a real siege, and the situation would be expected to be even more dire.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also noted a detail, saying that the RFAF relied heavily on overwhelming numbers to wage a “war of attrition” on multiple fronts in Pokrovsk. First, they deployed a large number of UAVs to spy on weak points in Ukraine’s defenses.

Once a breakthrough is found, the Russians will concentrate their forces on Ukrainian bunkers and trenches, then use grenades and anti-tank mines to destroy Ukrainian tunnels. Finally, elite infantry will be mobilized to clear the rubble.

Interestingly, as the Russian infantry advanced, they would hide in small warehouses along their route, storing weapons, ammunition, and other supplies. This was an effective tactic, not only facilitating the next wave of advance, but also relying on these supplies until reinforcements arrived, even if the first wave was repelled.

It was thanks to these "small logistical strongholds" that the Russians were able to carry out such large-scale raids on the northern front; otherwise, relying solely on temporary supplies would not have been able to sustain such a large-scale campaign.

Overall, the RFAF currently holds the initiative on the Russian-Ukrainian front. The European “buffer zone” proposal has added many variables to the peace talks. The AFU is facing the pressure of fighting on multiple fronts. The further development of the situation depends on whether the two sides can keep up with the deployment of troops and the subsequent attacks. (photo source Topwar, Ukrinform, Kyiv Post, RIA Novosti).

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