Ukraine's Pokrovsk Counterattacks Advance In Several Sectors

Reinforced Ukrainian troops counterattacking along several axes on the Pokrovsk front have pushed back Russian forces and taken new positions, reversing some recent Russian gains.

What is noteworthy in these reports is that Russian attacks are not massed nor supported by armor, but continue to be one or two man assault teams, useful for episodic infiltration, but not capable of significant assaults, let alone breakthroughs. JL

Alex Stezhensky reports in New Voice of Ukraine:

Institute for the Study of War analysts said geolocated imagery confirms that Ukrainian forces recently advanced into the northern part of Lysyivka in the Pokrovsk district of Donetsk Oblast. Ukraine’s Defense Forces continue to hold positions in Volodymyrivka, northeast of Pokrovsk, and repelled Russian attacks near the southern outskirts of the village of Shakhove. Russian forces are probing with teams of one or two men, "it’s a constant small stream of ‘meat’ that never stops.”

Ukrainian troops advanced near Pokrovsk as Russian forces pressed on with assaults while shifting their battlefield tactics, the Institute for the Study of War reported in its July 30 update.

ISW analysts said geolocated imagery confirms that Ukrainian forces recently advanced into the northern part of Lysyivka in the Pokrovsk district of Donetsk Oblast.

The researchers also cited unverified claims by a Russian military blogger suggesting that Ukraine’s Defense Forces continue to hold positions in Volodymyrivka, northeast of Pokrovsk, and repelled Russian attacks near the southern outskirts of the village of Shakhove.

 

The same blogger alleged that Russian troops advanced into the central and eastern parts of Zapovidne, and further claimed that occupying forces had entered Rodynske, north of Pokrovsk.

Photo: ISW

The report also noted that Russian forces are shifting their tactics in the Pokrovsk sector. A representative of a Ukrainian drone unit told ISW that Russian troops are now conducting assaults in small groups and are increasingly using motorcycles — including with sidecars — mainly for logistics.

According to the Russian blogger, troops attacking Pokrovsk are employing tactics similar to those used during the 2024 assault on Selydove: probing Ukrainian defenses with teams of two or three soldiers to identify weak points for deeper infiltration into urban areas.

 

On July 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s army had failed to make any significant breakthroughs along the front. He cited a report from Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stating that Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups had entered Pokrovsk five to seven times.

On July 26, Viktor Trehubov, spokesman for Ukraine’s Khortytsia Operational Strategic Grouping, said Russian forces had shifted the focus of their assault efforts to the areas near Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka — along with a change in tactics.

“Their assaults are still happening, but now in a slightly different format,” Trehubov explained. “If earlier they were sending in massive ‘meat waves,’ now it’s a constant small stream of ‘meat’ that never stops.”

On July 27, the Khortytsia grouping reported that Russian troops were trying to bypass Ukrainian defensive positions east of Pokrovsk and put the city in a partial encirclement.