Is the fall of Pokrovsk, Ukraine's key eastern stronghold, inevitable?

"They use reconnaissance drones and satellite images to identify gaps in Ukrainian defences and use tiny groups of soldiers who are attacked and killed in droves by Ukrainian drones. But the surviving soldiers grind forward, targeting drone operators and engaging them in close combat, blazing the trail for larger groups of servicemen. They are backed by Russian artillery, drones and glide bombs that destroy even the deepest and most fortified bunkers."

"The town is a layer cake of passages, spots under fire, our and enemy positions, Kirill Sazonov, a Ukrainian political scientist-turned-serviceman, wrote on Telegram on Thursday. Somebody is sitting on a third floor, someone's in a house next door, someone's in the basement, he wrote. There's no front line, sectors under [Russian or Ukrainian] control or logic. He's confident that Ukrainian forces won't leave Pokrovsk because Kyiv wants to defend it by any means necessary"

"Pokrovsk, a key fortress and logistical hub for Ukrainian forces in the eastern region of Donbas, has been under siege for almost two years. But in recent weeks, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have been storming the town around the clock, taking over the streets where buildings are mostly reduced to bombed-out, deserted ruins. They use reconnaissance drones and satellite images to identify gaps in Ukrainian defences and use tiny groups of soldiers who are attacked and killed in droves by Ukrainian drones."

Pokrovsk is a key fortress and logistical hub in Donbas under siege for almost two years. Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have recently intensified around-the-clock assaults that have left buildings bombed-out and deserted. Russian forces rely on reconnaissance drones, satellite imagery, small assault groups, artillery and glide bombs to find and exploit gaps and to destroy deep bunkers. Ukrainian defenders use drones to kill attackers and rely on layered urban positions and basements. There is no clear front line and both sides occupy adjacent structures. Weather and foliage changes shape strategic calculations for both Moscow and Kyiv.

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