Russian army closes the "lid on the Myrnohrad furnace", moves north of Pokrovsk
Russian troops have closed in on the Mirnohrad urban area, advancing north of the city of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian troops have launched a fierce counterattack in the direction of the town of Rodinske.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•26/11/2025
The Russian Armed Forces (RFAF) has finally cut off contact with the Ukrainian Army (AFU), which is surrounded in the Myrnohrad urban area, and has officially “closed the lid” on the encirclement, the Military Review reported. Today, units of the RFAF 2nd Army advanced from the northwestern suburbs of Pokrovske and “joined hands” with units of the 51st Army, which is advancing from the town of Rodynske. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian defense group in Myrnohrad is still completely surrounded (according to Ukrainian media, about 2,000 troops), and has almost no chance of escaping the city. Perhaps some will be lucky enough to escape Myrnohrad, breaking through the encirclement, but will not escape the pursuit of FPV UAVs.
At present, some Ukrainian soldiers are still in the encirclement, still trying to break out of the encirclement and aiming for the village of Gryshyne, as this is the only direction where the Ukrainian forces are still counterattacking. The counterattack from Rodynske, which General Syrsky has repeatedly announced, has finally stopped and they have no reserves, to break the encirclement, helping the forces encircled in Myrnohrad to escape. ZOV Military channel reported that RFAF assault units broke through enemy strongholds and entered the Mirnograd urban area from the direction of Rivne village, located between Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad urban areas. This important village is now completely under RFAF control. The Military Summary channel reported that Russian military outposts in residential areas north of the town of Rodinske (north of Mirnograd) were attacked by Ukrainian troops. This indirectly confirmed that the RFAF successfully expanded its control zone in residential areas by 1km and took new positions north of the city. The Archangel of Special Forces channel has just published its latest assessment of the collapse of the Ukrainian defense in the Mirnograd metropolitan area. Accordingly, the AFU position in Pokrovsk - Mirnograd is rapidly becoming a disaster. The 2nd Army of the RFAF Central Group continues to expand its control in the northwest, advancing to the village of Gryshyne. The breakthroughs of the 51st Army, part of the RFAF Army Group Center, north of Mirnograd, from the bridgehead of the village of Chervonyi Lyman (Russian name: Krasnyi Liman), practically deprived the Ukrainian troops of material supplies on this route.
Currently, the only means of supply for the AFU troops stationed in Myrnohrad is by UAVs, but most of them have been shot down. They also cannot evacuate the wounded, and many have died due to lack of support. Thanks to the successes in Pokrovsk and the lack of concentrated enemy counterattacks, the RFAF quickly “put the lid on the Myrnohrad pot”. In the Udachne area west of Pokrovsk, despite fierce resistance from the AFU, the RFAF entered the area of mine No. 1 and took up new positions in the production facilities. At present, the only counterattacks that the Kiev command hoped for were from Belitske in the direction of Sukhetske and Rodinske, as well as in the Udachne area. Rybar reported that the AFU Pokrovsk Front Command, which has repeatedly tried to organize attacks on the town of Udachne with small infantry groups, has essentially failed to achieve its intended goals. In the north of Pokrovsk, the RFAF is also advancing from Poltavka, reaching the outskirts of Sofiyivka, bordering Toretskoye, gaining positions along the road east of the village. According to Suriyakmaps, on the Mirnograd and Pokrovsk fronts, over the past two days, the RFAF has taken full control of residential areas north of Pokrovsk. The Pokrovsk municipality is now under full Russian control, but an official announcement will not be made until the operation is over and there are no Ukrainian soldiers left in the encirclement. In addition, the RFAF continued to advance eastward along the railway line and the Rivne village area, allowing Russian forces to advance into the Brianka district, northwest of the Mirnograd metropolitan area. Furthermore, over the past eight days, the RFAF has regained some positions in the center of Rodinske. Fighting with Ukrainian forces continues inside the town. The Military Review reported that Russian troops have advanced north and completely sealed the encirclement; the Ukrainian troops are trapped and have no chance of escape. Work is underway to clear the forest belt between the two urban areas of Pokrovsk and Mirnohrad.
An estimated two thousand Ukrainian troops from highly capable brigades are surrounded in Myrnohrad. They have no intention of surrendering, although supplies have been running low for some time. Ammunition and food are being dropped by heavy multi-axis UAVs whenever possible. Mostly bottled water and biscuits. Experts analyze that if the Ukrainian defenders do not surrender en masse in Myrnohrad, they will either be completely wiped out, or fight to the last breath, with no other choice; the reason is that the AFU cannot break the encirclement to save them. In the town of Rodinske, the Russian army regained the initiative and controlled most of this strategic town, while the AFU was unable to maintain positions in the urban area captured in Rodinske, in a recent counter-offensive, reinforced also by armored vehicles.
Conflicting information is emerging from the northern flank of this direction. There is growing evidence that the Russians are advancing from Shakhove. The complete capture of Pokrovsk, Mirnograd and the satellite settlements will certainly take some time. The regrouping and logistical adjustment of the RFAF will also be necessary, especially after the involvement of a large number of units. However, this does not mean that the Russian military has paused its offensive, despite the unfavorable weather conditions, and the breakthroughs on the approaches to Grishino and Shakhove only serve to prove this. The AFU defense system here is cracking in many ways, and the RFAF General Staff is certainly steadfast in its policy of "strike while the iron is hot." (photo source: Military Review, Ukrinform, TASS, Kyiv Post).
Comment (0)