Pokrovsk: The Breach That Ukraine Can Still Slam Shut

A 10-kilometer Russian push tests Ukraine’s defenses — and offers Kyiv a chance to turn a potential embarrassment into a battlefield win.

I ≠ U.

Not me and you.

On the battlefield, a straight, linear thrust — whether vertical or horizontal — is a very different animal from a double envelopment. An I can evolve into a U, and only then into an O, sealing off the pocket, crushing everything inside, and handing full control of the terrain to the attacker.

There are indeed issues with Ukrainian command in the Pokrovsk sector. But before we get to that, let’s first break down what’s happening here — and why some on social media slipped into panic mode far sooner than the situation warranted.

As you can see from the map above, Russian forces have pushed roughly 11 km into Ukrainian lines. But if their true aim was to take Pokrovsk, the logical move would have been to come down, not up. This was not the decisive closure of the envelopment the Russians have been trying to execute around Pokrovsk for over a year.

If this were a feint — punching a hole on one side to draw attention before delivering the real blow elsewhere — we are well past the 100-hour surprise window.