Within the key Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk, which is visible to Russia.
Maria Honcharenko is leaving the town where she has spent the majority of her life with just one brief bag and her two tiny cats. The 69-year-old is now taking counsel and getting ready to leave the city of Pokrovsk in east Ukraine, where he had firmly refused to go. She sobs as she tells me, "When I hear a bang, my heart stops." She has an antique push-button phone in her hand that is saved with emergency contacts.
Pokrovsk is located less than 8 km (4.9 miles) from the entrance line. The chief of the armed forces administration in the city, Serhiy Dobryak, claims that in addition to using numerous rocket launchers and strategic missiles to target the city, the Russians are also using guided bombs and artillery because the city is now within their weaponry's range. "Observe what the Russians did to us. She sobs and says, "I am leaving everything behind after 30 years of working here. Ms. Honcharenko is assisted by volunteers in boarding an evacuation bus. This station is now defunct.
Pokrovsk is a vital center for transportation. Russian soldiers will cut off one of the region's primary supply channels if it falls. The front line will probably advance into Kramatorsk as a result, forcing Ukraine to withdraw from Chasiv Yar. This would essentially mean that Ukraine would lose nearly the whole Donetsk area, which the Kremlin has been attempting to seize from the start of their invasion. The Ukrainian military acknowledges that Moscow was not compelled to withdraw its forces from eastern Ukraine as a result of its incursion into the Kursk region of Russia.
Furthermore, some experts contend that although this action undoubtedly raised military morale, it also exposed the vital supply line to Russian attack. Only ten kilometers from Pokrovsk, the settlement of Novohrodivka was purportedly taken over by Russia on Sunday. Although sources told the Media that Ukrainian military had withdrew from the area, Kyiv has not responded. The evacuation bus soon fills to capacity. A mother boards with her five-year-old kid in tow.
It's their second flight. The first time it happened was in 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when they fled from a border town. Moscow's first priority is undoubtedly this metropolis. The chief of the military administration in Pokrovsk, Serhiy Dobryak, claims that Russia is winning the force ratio ten to one.
Russia struck a substation in Pokrovsk during its most recent attack, knocking out power to half the city. Water supply were also interrupted by the strikes. The city is emptying out swiftly. There were still 48,000 residents here as of two months earlier. Half of them had already departed today. It's disturbingly quiet amid the bustling downtown with its stores and supermarkets. Several cafes, supermarkets, and banks are shuttered. Everyone has left the hospital. Digging machines are in the countryside, building new ditches outside the city. The head of Ukraine's armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, claims that the army has managed to halt Russia's assault on Pokrovsk.
The 110th brigade's battalion commander, Lt Col Oleh Demyanenko, confirmed to the BBC that the front line on Russia's attack on Pokrovsk's northern flank had stabilized. But he adds that the southern flank, where fierce fighting is still going on, is where Russian attacks are mostly concentrated. The Russians are attempting to take control of several areas on that side, including Selidove, a tiny town southeast of Pokrovsk. The Media went to an artillery position maintained by the National Guard's 15th Brigade, which guards this town. They never get a break from the relentless Russian attacks.
After obtaining the coordinates of a fresh goal, unit commander Dmytro issues a directive, "Get ready for action!" Every member of the crew runs to an outdated American M-101 cannon. During World War Two, this kind of gun was in use. Ukrainians are firing it now to halt Russian attacks. Dmytro, a Ukrainian commander with the 15th Brigade National Guard, is pictured in military fatigues standing next to an instrument of warfare. The commander of the 15th Brigade National Guard, Dmytro, claims that in order to repel the Russians, they must fire hundreds of rounds every day. With a "Fire!" cry, the commander tugs on the rope. The noise level is overwhelming. There is smoke all over the rifle. The 31-year-old Dmytro claims that the combat in his sector is really fierce.
"The enemy launches attacks in groups of up to 15 or even 60 people," the speaker claimed. "We repel them with up to 200 rounds per day." Compared to previous winter, when the large guns were silent for the majority of the day, this is a significant change. However, there is a greater chance of return fire the more they shell the Russian positions. They then withdraw to a dugout to await Russia's counterattack following each round of gunfire. They also become silent upon hearing a big thud in the faraway distance. "A glide bomb," murmurs one of the soldiers. They are particularly afraid of this particular weapon. There is nowhere for the gunners to hide from it, and its impact is disastrous.
When asked if using Ukrainian forces involved in the Kursk campaign to protect the Donbas region would be more beneficial, Dmytro responds evasively. He claimed that commanders had a superior perspective while making strategic choices. Two helmet-wearing, weapon-wielding Ukrainian troops stare into the camera.
Ukraine will lose an essential eastern transportation hub if Pokrovsk falls.
Here, the front line can move swiftly. For Ukrainian forces, it might occasionally come as a complete surprise.In the small town of Komyshivka, 15 km west of Selidove, a team of seven soldiers from the 68th Brigade began their shift at the forward position last month. Their mission was to thwart any penetration attempts by Russian forces. But the Russian army had them surrounded the following day. Three days later, they were rescued because of extraordinarily courageous drivers and the carelessness of Russian forces.
The forced departure bus carrying Ms. Honcharenko is completely occupied back in Pokrovsk. The span on the way out of town has been destroyed by the Russian bombardment, so they have to find a different path. The public wave through the windows and wipe away their sorrow as the bus moves. Maria Honcharenko sees this as a perilous trip fraught with uncertainty. She is certain, nevertheless, that living in her new house will be safer than staying on the front lines.
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