“Also, not a single unit of the Ukrainian Defense Forces is surrounded,” he clarified.
Kovalev noted that the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are doing everything to implement logistics. According to him, the situation in Pokrovsk is complex, but now a comprehensive operation is underway to identify enemy forces in urban areas, destroy and oust the Russian occupiers.
As a result, the Speaker of the General Staff called for the use of official sources and not to disseminate unverified information.
The Vostok group of troops on Facebook also commented on the situation in Pokrovsk, noting that since the beginning of the day as of 19.00, the invaders have made 27 attempts to oust the Ukrainian defenders from their positions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding back the enemy’s onslaught and have already stopped 23 attacks, the report says.
“Search and strike operations and coordinated work of all components of the security and defense forces of Ukraine continue in Pokrovsk. The enemy is suffering losses. The city is not encircled. Logistics, although complicated, are being provided,” the press service emphasized.
Statements by the Ukrainian military regarding Pokrovsk were likely a response to the Russian Ministry of Defense report dated November 4, which refers to the “encirclement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces group” in the area of Pokrovsk and Mirnograd (the Russians call them Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov).
On this day, the Ukrainian project Ukrainian Witness also wrote that the Pokrovsko-Mirnograd agglomeration is “trapped,” the gray zone is “spreading,” and the situation in Pokrovsk is worsening.
Context
On October 26, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported to the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin about the alleged encirclement of Ukrainian troops near Kupyansk and Pokrovsk. Zelensky, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Igor Klimenko, and subsequently the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky denied the Russian information.
On October 29, Putin repeated Gerasimov’s words about the allegedly large-scale encirclement of Ukrainian defense forces in Kupyansk and Pokrovsk. He invited the media to verify this by coming to the front. The United Forces Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted that with these statements Putin exposes himself to ridicule.
On October 31, the media reported that a special operation by the Main Intelligence Directorate to stabilize the situation around Pokrovsk had been going on for several days.
On November 3, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that approximately 30% of all military operations at the front take place in Pokrovsk. “You understand how difficult it is for us. There are from 260 to 300 Russians in Pokrovsk,” he noted.
On the morning of November 4, military intelligence reported that the special forces, who had occupied several positions in Pokrovsk, had broken through a ground corridor and were receiving reinforcements. Fierce fighting continues in the city. Videos published by the Main Intelligence Directorate recorded a landing from a helicopter, the destruction of invaders using drones, tank firefights, and recordings from body cameras of fighters.
