Pokrovsk is a strategic height of Donbas: the loss of the city will open the enemy’s path to Pavlohrad and Dnipro — Roman Svitan
Pokrovsk has critical strategic importance for the entire defense system of Donbas, as the city is located on elevations that determine the stability of the defensive line. Military expert Roman Svitan said this in an interview with OstroV.
“Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad stand on heights — this is the third line of defense. There’s a ridge about 200 meters above sea level. That ridge had to be held at any cost. But the russians managed to push through our positions, and now this is a serious problem”, - he explained.
According to the expert, the loss of Pokrovsk could open the enemy’s path to the west and create a threat for the entire Sloviansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, which would come under pressure from several directions at once — from Kupiansk, Lyman, Siversk, Kostiantynivka, and Dobropillia.
“If the russians entrench themselves in the Pokrovsk area, they will have a strategic opportunity to advance further, toward Pavlohrad and in the direction of Dnipro. For now, they lack the resources to immediately move on Pavlohrad, so they may turn toward Dobropillia or back to Kostiantynivka, but already from the west. Then they’ll begin pressing Kramatorsk and Sloviansk from a new side”, - he explained.
He emphasized that the current command must make a balanced decision — either hold the heights or withdraw in an organized manner, preserving personnel.
“A controlled withdrawal is always more difficult than an offensive operation of the same scale. Especially when it comes to withdrawing from a ‘pocket’. But sometimes a retreat that preserves a unit’s combat capability is a more courageous step than senselessly holding under the threat of encirclement”, - Svitan noted.
The expert warns that if Pokrovsk is lost, Donbas could be completely lost within the next year.
“Not this year — the russians don’t have the strength to capture Sloviansk now. But next year they will go for Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Dobropillia. And then — for Pavlohrad and Dnipro. This is a strategic threat”, - Svitan said.