Rob Schoof (@robschoof.bsky.social)

Ukrainian military: Pokrovsk not encircled, but Russian drones control all exits Russia’s military claims it controls Pokrovsk and has Ukrainian forces encircled. Ukraine disputes that, while acknowledging the situation in the city is extremely difficult. Ukrainian serviceman Artyom Prybylnov of the 155th Brigade told the BBC there is no full encirclement of Ukrainian forces around Pokrovsk. He said there is no physical encirclement, but the situation is highly dangerous because drones now monitor and control all access routes to the city. The soldier noted the war has become high-tech. In earlier Russian offensives, withdrawal routes existed; now exit points are under enemy UAV control, which he called “extremely dangerous.” “Perhaps that’s why the Russians claim they have encircled Pokrovsk, even though there is no physical encirclement of the city?” Prybylnov suggested. Pokrovsk remains a strategic hub that supplies the eastern front and helps defend key cities such as Kramatorsk, Sloviansk and Kostyantynivka. The authors note that losing this axis could seriously complicate Ukrainian logistics across the Donetsk sector. Overall, Russian forces are pressing a coordinated offensive in eastern Ukraine and trying to consolidate in Pokrovsk, the BBC reported. On October 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters Russian troop strength on the Pokrovsk axis outnumbers Ukraine’s forces by eight to one. Despite that, he said Russian troops have not achieved their stated objectives. “They have thrown so much at Pokrovsk that Ukraine cannot match one to eight on a single axis. Imagine how many Russian forces are there. Yet they still have not achieved the result they planned. In my view, they don’t have a result they can sell to the Americans. They show them maps with Pokrovsk already captured, claim they’re standing in the Dnipro region, that they’ve taken 90% of eastern Ukraine. It’s simply a lie,” Zelensky said. The President also said Russia’s Vladimir Putin does not want a deal with Ukraine and will do everything to avoid meeting the Ukrainian leader. He added that Ukraine’s diplomatic stance remains unchanged. “We will pursue diplomacy only from the positions we hold. We will not withdraw from any part of our country,” Zelensky stressed. https://www.uawire.org/ukrainian-military-pokrovsk-not-encircled-but-russian-drones-control-all-exits