Syrskyi: Ukrainian forces halted Russian advance in Donetsk region

Ukrainian forces managed to halt the Russian advance towards the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, stated Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, in an interview with CNN. The city remains a priority target for the occupiers as a strategic transport hub.

“Over the last six days the enemy hasn’t advanced a single meter in the Pokrovsk direction. In other words, our strategy is working,” Syrskyi said. At the end of August, the invaders were already 10 km from the city.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have successfully restricted Russian military movements, preventing the deployment of reinforcements from various directions. “This weakening has definitely been felt in other areas. We note the amount of artillery shelling as well as the intensity of the offensive have decreased,” the general added.

The threat of an enemy offensive was reduced by the Ukrainian operation in Russia’s Kursk region, Syrskyi noted. “We prevented them from acting. We moved the fighting to the enemy’s territory so that [the enemy] could feel what we feel every day,” the commander-in-chief added.

Russia has more resources, Syrskyi acknowledges. “The enemy does have an advantage in aviation, in missiles, in artillery, in the amount of ammunition they use, of course, in personnel, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles,” he said. However, this has only forced Ukraine to become smarter and more effective in conducting the war.

The general thanked Ukraine’s allies for their support but emphasized that delays in providing assistance had led to serious battlefield losses and a decline in the morale of the defenders.

Analysts predict that if Pokrovsk and the surrounding heights are captured by spring 2025, Russia might begin an offensive towards the Dnipropetrovsk region.