Wants to show Trump a "victory": the general explained why Putin needs Pokrovsk

Richard Shirreff, a retired British general and former deputy supreme commander of the United Armed Forces of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) in Europe, told about the significance of the battle for Pokrovsk in an interview with "Telegraph". He noted the resilience of the Defense Forces in the face of Russian assaults on the city and noted that the Russian offensive in this direction has been ongoing for 18 months and probably cost the loss of more than 100,000 occupiers.

According to the general, if Russia captures Pokrovsk, it will receive the ruins of the city, but this will not significantly affect Ukraine's ability to defend itself. At the same time, it can raise the spirits of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader will be able to declare "victory" and convince US President Donald Trump that the Russians will "win in Ukraine.

" "Of course, this will fuel a narrative that could intensify Trump's attempts to impose a totally unacceptable ceasefire on Ukraine, similar to the options we've already seen," Shirreff noted. He added that the situation for the Defense Forces remains really difficult, and Ukraine needs to provide resources and human potential for military operations with the help of European allies.

According to the general, if the Russians are successful in Pokrovsk, they will continue their advance further, although at the current pace the advance will be slow. "If Ukraine can find some more reserves, it may be able to achieve more success," said Richard Shirreff. On November 12, Artem Pribylnov, head of the communications department of the 155th OMBr of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, spoke about the battles in Pokrovsk.

According to him, during the previous week, the fighters of the brigade eliminated 236 occupiers and wounded about 135 more. He noted that the Ukrainian military has the opportunity to withdraw from the city, but at the moment it is impractical to do so. On November 11, a fighter with the call sign "Muchnoi" denied the breakthrough of the Russian Federation in Pokrovsk on motorbikes, information about which was spread on the network.