The half-flow of Pokrovsk and the battles for Kostianinivka: what is the strategic goal of the Russian Federation in Donbas - People's Deputy

In his opinion, the situation in one city is more threatening than in another. Kostenko answered the media's questions about the current plans of the Russian Federation in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The politician recalled that the Kremlin started by wanting to completely occupy Ukraine. But since 2023, the Kremlin's goal has changed somewhat, and Donetsk and Luhansk regions within the administrative borders have become strategic goals.

Among other things, Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka stand in the way of these goals, near which fierce battles have been taking place recently. "Now, strategically, they want to seize the whole of Donbas within the administrative borders. These are the cities that stood in their way of fulfilling the tasks that were set before Putin's army," Kostenko said. The People's Deputy also gave some details of the fighting in two key cities that the Russians are trying to capture.

Pokrovsk Kostenko admitted that the situation in the city is "complicated", and in order to correct it, the command sent special units of the GUR, "Alfa" and others. The Russians are setting up units in Pokrovsk, trying to gain a foothold and there is a threat of semi-encirclement, he said. "There aren't whole brigades [of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation] there yet in terms of numbers, but [the enemies] are already there and are starting to gain a foothold.

The worst thing is that they are creating conditions for a semi-encirclement," UNIAN said in the video. Kostyantynivka. There are no Russians in the city yet, explained Kostenko, but the situation is also difficult. The units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are currently controlled by FPV drones, but it is quite possible that progress will begin in this direction as well, added the secretary of the National Security Committee.

"The situation is not as critical as it was at the beginning," Kostenko noted. The map of the analysts of the DeepState project shows the situation on the front line between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka. The distance between the two points on which the Russian Armed Forces are pressing is about 50 km. At the same time, the "gray" zone completely covered Pokrovsk, but barely approached the outskirts of Kostiantynivka.

In the north is the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration, which is controlled by Ukraine: it is about 5,696 square meters. km (the fifth part of the Donetsk region, which has an area of ​​26,517 sq. km). It should be noted that on November 4, analysts of The Independent told why Moscow is so eager to occupy Pokrovsk. The media specified that the Russians had gathered a hundred thousand troops to attack the settlement, which they consider the "gateway" for the full occupation of Donetsk region.