What is the strategic importance of Pokrovsk in the war between Ukraine and Russia?
19 August 2024 14:06
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Over the last day, 145 combat engagements were registered. The situation is the hottest in the Pokrovsk sector, and the enemy is actively advancing in the Toretsk sector. This was reported by the General Staff and stressed that in the Pokrovsk sector, our defenders repelled 45 enemy assaults over the past day.
Meanwhile, the head of the Pokrovsk city military administration, Sergey Dobryak, said that residents have a maximum of two weeks to evacuate, as the Russian army is approaching closer and closer, and about 5,000 children still remain in the city.
As Ukrainian military expert Oleg Zhdanov explained in an exclusive commentary to "Komersant Ukrainian", Pokrovsk is an important place for Ukraine, as it is essentially the last agglomeration on the way to the administrative border with Donetsk Oblast.
“Pokrovsk is the last agglomeration on the way to the administrative border with Donetsk region. Also, from Pokrovsk, you can turn north to surround Kramatorsk and south to further advance along the border to Zaporizhzhia Oblast,” the expert said.
Oleg Zhdanov stressed that the aggressor still has 10-12 km to go to Pokrovsk, but we have a geographical opportunity to delay the enemy.
“Pokrovsk is still about 10-12 km away. But we have a geographical opportunity – Hrodivka, Krasnyi Yar, Krutyi Yar, Novohrodivka, where the Kazenyi Torets River flows and the right bank is higher than the left. And we have a chance to do the same thing there as we did in the Vozdvyzhenka area. We crossed this river, took the dominant heights and for a month now the enemy has been unable to advance further. Although it is literally 5-6 km from Vozdvyzhenka to the road to Pokrovsk. And they can’t even shell it, because there is no line of sight and they need to put up a drone to keep this road under control,” the expert said.
According to Oleh Zhdanov, if our military has prepared a defensive line on these dominant heights, we will be able to delay the enemy.
“I hope that if we have prepared a defence line on these dominant heights, and it just begs to be there, judging by the terrain, the troops will simply sit down when they get there and we will have a chance to hold out longer. I am not saying 100% that we will hold Pokrovsk, but we have a chance to delay the enemy and inflict maximum fire damage,” summed up Oleg Zhdanov.
It should be noted that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk called on residents of Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad and Selidove in Donetsk Oblast to evacuate to safer places.
In her post , the Minister added important contacts for those wishing to evacuate:
- General hotline for Donetsk region: 0-800-500-121.
- Pokrovsk community: 0-800-300-101.
- Selydivka community: 080-033-64-54.
- Myrnohrad community: 050-648-15-19.
- Ministry of Reintegration: 15-48.
We would like to add that on 15 August, the authorities of Pokrovsk called on residents to evacuate, as the enemy is rapidly advancing towards the city.
Anyone who wants to evacuate from Pokrovsk is asked to call
- evacuation and humanitarian assistance hotline: 0-800-408-911;
- contact centre of Pokrovsk MVA: 0800300101;
- volunteers of the charity organisation “Vostok SOS”: evacuation with children, seriously ill and disabled people with accommodation, pets: 0800332614 from Monday to Saturday from 08.00 to 18.00;
- volunteers of the NGO “Proliska” to accompany seriously ill patients with medical staff: 0932022232 and 0964041034.
Due to the constant shelling in the cities of Myrnohrad and Selidove in Donetsk Oblast, the curfew has been extended. Starting from 19 August, it will last 20 hours, from 15:00 to 11:00.
Author: Alyona Kaplina
