Not Pokrovsk: Russians shifting their priority direction. What it means

Soon, the Kurakhove sector is likely to become the enemy's priority, shifting focus from Pokrovsk.

Russia is not expected to attack Pokrovsk head-on. Ukrainian defense forces have somewhat stabilized the situation and are containing the enemy's advance, which has not seen significant success in the past three days.

The Russians may attempt to attack in the south through Selydove, where active fighting continues. This is the hot spot through which they will try to move towards Kurakhove. And from there, they will flank Pokrovsk.

A similar situation exists in the north. The enemy will first try to move towards Myrnograd, cutting off logistical connections with Pokrovsk and attempting to outflank from the north. This pincer tactic has been repeatedly used by Russia during the full-scale invasion.

Given that Russia hasn't conducted such operations without enveloping strikes throughout the full-scale war – as seen in Bakhmut and Avdiivka – they need to advance from the flanks. They will attempt to encircle or semi-encircle, cutting off logistics, and creating problems and challenges for us. And how can this be done if there are frontal strikes? None, not even with frontal attacks.

Kurakhove, in my opinion, is an underestimated threat. While Pokrovsk is currently discussed more, Kurakhove presents challenges for Ukrainian forces despite good defense lines. The Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, and Vuhledar sectors are the enemy's main focus areas, with the Ukrainian military containing their advances.

The Russians' so-called rapid advance is not progressing well. They're beginning to feel a shortage of forces in some areas but continue to push. The struggle now is to exhaust the enemy faster without depleting Ukrainian resources in these sectors.