Russians lament being trapped in three "pockets" near Pokrovsk: Ukrainian Forces comment

Russian military bloggers are sounding alarms over the difficult situation facing the occupiers on the Pokrovsk front. They report that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have encircled the invaders in three separate “pockets,” cutting off their escape routes.

Spokesman for the Dnipro Operational-Strategic Grouping of Troops Viktor Trehubov addressed the online claims in an interview with 24 Kanal, responding to reports about three “pockets” of Russian forces near Pokrovsk.

Are Russian forces truly encircled near Pokrovsk?

Trehubov says that talking about “pockets” or complete encirclements is still premature.

“We shouldn’t jump too far ahead. There are, let’s say, a few spots where the Russians have been pressed hard. We’ll see if they can get out of there,” Trehubov explains.

Meanwhile, Russian war correspondents complain that Ukrainian drones are tracking and destroying Russian supply convoys. Attempts by Russian forces to send reinforcements toward Pokrovsk have ended in their destruction.

What’s happening in the Dobropillia area

Ukrainian forces have established three encirclement rings around Russian units on the Dobropillia salient, military analyst Denys Popovych reports.

Popovych explains that the first ring “cuts off pieces of the ears” of the Russian “hare,” the second—its head, and the third—the base of the salient from which the Russians had previously advanced.

The encirclement targets units of Russia’s 51st Army, formerly the so-called “DPR People’s Militia,” which had pressed toward Dobropillia and Rodynske.

If these forces are crushed, he argued, the northern flank of Moscow’s attempt to envelop Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad would collapse, derailing plans to encircle Pokrovsk.

At the same time, Popovych cautions that it is too early to draw final conclusions, as the Russians have deployed naval infantry and will attempt to unblock their troops from the east, including from Malynivka.

Dmytro Zhmailyo, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, also notes that Russian forces are concentrating elements of the 155th Brigade and parts of the airborne assault troops in the Dobropillia sector. He said this represents the largest redeployment since 2022.