Pokrovsk, a city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, was once home to 60,000 residents before Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Today, only a few thousand people remain, many of whom wear Ukrainian army uniforms.
As the Russian army’s 90th Guards Tank Division approaches Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian forces are preparing for battle. The city’s garrison is composed of smaller units with fewer than a dozen brigades and around 20,000 troops. Despite this, they have received critical support from Ukraine’s newest unit, the 155th Mechanized Brigade, which includes German-designed Leopard 2 tanks and French-made Caesar howitzers.
Russian forces are now just four miles away from Pokrovsk and are launching attacks along a 800-mile front line in western Russia and northern, eastern, and southern Ukraine. The Russian army is attempting to form a defensive line south of the city, which could prevent Ukrainian units from reinforcing or lifting the siege on Pokrovsk.
The Ukrainians may respond by withdrawing some brigades from around the city, reducing the length of their front line but tightening the combat formations. If successful, this maneuver would create space for a Russian advance north of Pokrovsk, potentially completing a partial encirclement of the city before the main battle begins.
With the 155th Mechanized Brigade expected to deploy in full force in Pokrovsk, it remains to be seen whether they will be enough to hold the city. The ongoing conflict has already claimed over a million lives and continues to have a profound impact on Ukraine and its people.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/12/27/ukraines-new-mechanized-brigade-and-its-leopard-2-tanks-may-reinforce-pokrovsk-right-before-russia-attacks