In these three years of war, there is only one front in which Ukrainians have been consistently winning, and that, of course, is the MSM’s headlines.
These days, the incursion into Russian territory in the Kursk region is providing context for the pro Kiev crowd to fawn over their ‘victories’, but – as we have written about before – the cross-border adventure comes just as the defenses in Donetsk region are crumbling and Russians score victory after victory on the ground.
Now, Russian Federation forces are said to have begun laying siege to the city of Selidovo, and to be less than 10 km from Pokrovsk – poised to be the biggest conquest since Bakhmut.
Inhabitants of the region have now been forcibly evacuated and met by humanitarian aid workers and volunteers before being sent to shelters nearby.
The Sunday Times reported:
“Russia’s advance on the crucial logistics hub of Pokrovsk, for so long in its crosshairs, has gained momentum. The government in Kyiv ordered the forcible evacuation of the city last week.
In phone calls with The Sunday Times, Ukrainian military commanders were at pains to explain the apparent collapse around Pokrovsk, some blaming a lack of artillery shells, others new Russian tactics or the use of glide bombs and electronic warfare. They agreed, however, that one of the biggest problems they face is being greatly outnumbered.”
Ukrainian defenders say they are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Russian attackers.
The gamble by Kiev was that the Kursk invasion would force Moscow to divert significant troops from Donetsk to that region, but that did not happen.
“If Pokrovsk falls, it will be the largest population centre taken by the enemy since the Russians seized Bakhmut in May last year. The local administration has left and its 53,000 inhabitants are preparing for the worst.”
Families are also departing the region in private cars overburdened with roof racks piled high with furniture.
“Lt Mykhailo Luzhetsky, 36, of the 109th brigade, which is fighting near the city, spoke of a ‘depressingly sad atmosphere in Pokrovsk’, adding: ‘We hope everything will be all right, but we understand that the situation is not good’.”
The Times report tried to emphasize Putin’s ‘humiliation’ of having Ukrainian troops in his territory, but they are forced to concede that the onslaught in Donetsk continues unabated.
“‘But Russia keeps going’, said Matthew Savill of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a military and security think tank in London. ‘The Russian mindset seems to be, ’We took tens of millions of casualties in the Second World War and we can keep going’’.”
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