Ukrainian Armed Forces at risk of encirclement: Expert identifies dangerous frontline sector

Russian occupation forces are aiming to encircle units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region.

This was stated by military-political analyst Dmytro Snehiryov in an interview with Glavred.

According to him, after gaining control over the Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka highway, Kostiantynivka has become one of the main directions of the Russian offensive.

«The situation is worsened by the fact that the Russians control the dominant heights in the direction of the city, as Kostiantynivka is located in a lowland. This creates serious problems for both local residents and the Defense Forces. The enemy is capable of maintaining fire control over the rear positions of the Ukrainian army and the entire city,» the expert emphasized.

Snehiryov noted that the attack on Kostiantynivka on September 3, which killed nine people, confirms that the Russians use barrel artillery. He also warned that Russia is attempting to create an operational encirclement of Ukraine’s Defense Forces in the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka sectors.

«Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka are large industrial cities. Storming them head-on would lead to significant personnel losses. The experience of the battles for Bakhmut, which the Russians assaulted for nine months and lost over 100,000 troops, demonstrates this. Even Chasiv Yar, a small town of 10,000 people compared to Pokrovsk or Kostiantynivka, has been unsuccessfully stormed by the occupiers for one and a half years,» Snehiryov added.