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A Ukrainian assault company marched south into the contested center of Pokrovsk
But it wasn’t a counterattack
Elite Ukrainian forces have deployed into Pokrovsk to help cover a wider retreat from the city
Pokrovsk and neighboring Myrnohrad could fall to attacking Russians any day now
When a company from the Ukrainian 425th Assault Regiment raised a Ukrainian flag on the city council building near the center of Pokrovsk on or just before Wednesday, it may have looked like Ukrainian forces were counterattacking in the embattled city.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The survivors of Pokrovsk’s Ukrainian garrison are, in fact, trying hard to escape the ruins of the once-thriving mining city. To give the survivors of the 68th Jaeger Brigade and 155th Mechanized Brigade a fighting chance to escape to the new Ukrainian line north of Pokrovsk, several elite—but very small—units have deployed into the city.
They include that company from the 425th Assault Regiment. Don’t mistake the company’s jaunt into the city center for a counteroffensive. It’s actually the covering effort for a belated general retreat. After a year of hard fighting, the battle for Pokrovsk “is coming to an end,” observer Thorkill noted.
Why Russia’s numerical advantage matters in Pokrovsk
The Russian Center Group of Forces suffered shocking casualties marching on Pokrovsk from the ruins of Avdiivka, 40 km to the southeast, starting in the spring of 2024. The Russian group bled for every meter it advanced, but thanks to its sheer size—its 100,000 or more troops outnumber the local Ukrainian forces five to one—it did advance.
Key tactical factors in Pokrovsk’s fall:
5:1 Russian numerical advantage (100,000+ troops vs 20,000 Ukrainian)
Year-long advance from Avdiivka (40km southeast) starting spring 2024; Russian infiltration through gaps in Ukrainian defenses
3km escape corridor still open but drone-patrolled; Elite reinforcements: 425th Assault Regiment, 82nd Air Assault Brigade, 3 SOF units
Renewed Russian mechanized assaults this fall following vehicle stockpiling
Geolocation of soldiers from Ukraine’s 425th Skala Assault Regiment raising the Ukrainian flag in the Pokrovsk City Council building.https://t.co/INOzlLhklxhttps://t.co/GcH3oixSOv pic.twitter.com/PokSGlOs36
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) November 5, 2025
By the new year, it was on Pokrovsk’s outskirts. By this summer, Russian infantry had begun infiltrating Pokrovsk in growing numbers—taking advantage of wide gaps in Ukrainian defenses to dart into the city, hunker down in some basement and await reinforcement.
A Russian incursion north of Pokrovsk in August drew Ukrainian reserves away from the city. Renewed Russian mechanized assaults this fall—following a long pause in mech attacks that allowed the Kremlin to stockpile vehicles—kept up the pressure north of Pokrovsk.
How Russian infiltration tactics broke Ukrainian defenses
“The geometry of the battle has long been unfavorable” for Ukraine, wrote Michael Kofman, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, D.C., citing “deteriorating conditions, lack of reserves and [low] manning levels of deployed units.”
That geometry got worse last month. “The situation around Pokrovsk deteriorated over time as Russian forces kept infiltrating through the southern part of the city,” Kofman noted. “Ukrainian positions grew increasingly thin. Worsening weather enabled Russian troops to get more men into the city in recent weeks.”
Russian drone teams have followed the infiltrators into Pokrovsk. Now Russian drones range across Pokrovsk and the few roads into the city and neighboring Myrnohrad. There’s still a 3-km gap between the westernmost and easternmost Russian elements north of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad—a way out for the Ukrainian troops in both settlements.
But that gap is patrolled by explosive drones. And it’s in danger of closing completely any day now, especially if bad weather covers a fresh Russian push.
Explore further
Ukraine hits elite Rubicon drone base, but it’s too late to save Pokrovsk
Hold the door
To hold open the gap as long as possible, and allow the survivors of the 68th Jaeger Brigade and 155th Mechanized Brigade to retreat north, the Ukrainian command has deployed that company from the 425th Assault Regiment as well as a company from the 82nd Air Assault Brigade and three special operations units.
These elite troops, perhaps just a few hundred in number, are too few and too lightly equipped to push back the thousands of Russians winding their way into Pokrovsk. But operating from defensive positions on the northern edge of Pokrovsk, the newly deployed elite troops have succeeded in holding off the Russians for now.
Ukrainian forces in Myrnohrad have little time to retreat
The “shattered subunits” of the 68th Jaeger Brigade and 155th Mechanized Brigade seized the opportunity to escape starting on the night of 27 October, according to Thorkill. Many of the survivors “left the city on foot.” Russian drones and aerial bombs rained down, killing some of the escapees. But others made it out.
There are still some Ukrainian troops in the chaotic center and southern quarters of Pokrovsk. “Trapped,” In Thorkill’s assessment. It’s probably no coincidence that the 425th Assault Regiment recently appeared in the city center. There were probably Ukrainian troops in need of rescue in the area.
What happens after Pokrovsk falls
As Ukrainian troops look for ways out of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, the fates of both settlements are clear. The Russians will capture their ruins in the coming days or weeks.
The porous front line will then shift a few kilometers north into the fields and villages north of Pokrovsk. The battle for Donetsk Oblast will grind on, with the Russians having yet again traded tens of thousands of casualties for a Ukrainian city whose outnumbered defenders fought for longer than should be possible.
Timeline of Pokrovsk’s deterioration:
Spring 2024: Russian advance begins from Avdiivka
New Year 2025: Russians reach city outskirts
Summer 2025: Infantry infiltration intensifies
August 2025: Northern incursion draws Ukrainian reserves
Fall 2025: Mechanized assaults resume
27 October 2025: Mass retreat begins under drone fire
Explore further
Ukraine’s window closes: Russian forces 3km from trapping Myrnohrad troops
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