If we look at the map, we can see the so-called Pokrovsk salient extending towards Ukrainian territory, but any military expert will tell you that pushing forward indefinitely to reach Pokrovsk without securing your flanks is tantamount to suicide.
This was stated by military expert, retired Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Sergey Grabsky, in an interview with Yevgeny Kiselyov.
According to the military expert, this is precisely why there is significant activity in the southeastern direction from Pokrovsk, particularly in the Kurakhove area, where the enemy is trying to dislodge Ukrainian forces while addressing three objectives simultaneously.
"The first objective is to capture the settlement of Kurakhove itself, which houses a substantial thermal power station. The second is to stabilize the flanks, forcing Ukrainian troops to retreat to the line of Andriivka - Konstantinopol, thus aligning the flanks from the south and enabling further advancement," – stated Sergey Grabsky.
The military expert noted that in the northeast of this salient, the enemy's goal remains unchanged – to push out Ukrainian forces through flanking and frontal attacks, aiming to reach the line of Chasiv Yar - Konstantinovka - Pokrovsk.
"And the third objective being pursued in the southern direction is what could be termed 'seizing the initiative'. Today, Kurakhove is like a thorn in the enemy's side, preventing them from advancing further towards the Zaporizhzhia region, specifically towards the settlement of Pokrovske, at the very least. This creates significant pressure for the future, but that is essentially all," – added Sergey Grabsky.
