Russian troops are gradually retreating from the western outskirts of Pokrovsk following an unsuccessful attempt to cut off the route from the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group of Forces, announced this on Ukrainian television, according to Ukrinform.
“We’re talking about positions west of the city. They’ve been slowly pulling back from there since March — possibly even since late February. They were actively trying to advance in order to cut off the road from the Dnipropetrovsk region — from Pavlohrad to Pokrovsk — but failed. The situation shifted when Ukrainian forces recaptured Kotlyne. Now, the Russians are retreating slowly from the western outskirts toward the southern areas, from where they initially launched their offensive,” Trehubov said.
He also noted that combat operations in the Pokrovsk sector remain the most intense. Meanwhile, the occupiers are actively rotating their forces in the Kupiansk and Kharkiv sectors — particularly in the latter, they are concentrating troops rather than launching attacks.
“If one considers a drop in combat intensity as a sign of a ceasefire, then yes, there has been a reduction — by two to three times. But it’s by no means a ceasefire. For instance, if there used to be around 80 engagements and now there are 30, it’s more like a pause or temporary lull. Especially given the Russians are still actively rotating and building up their forces – it’s not a pause. It’s a temporary reduction in activity, likely in preparation for a renewed offensive,” Trehubov said.
He stressed that while the number of engagements had dropped by two to three times, they are still occurring. At the same time, the occupiers are more actively rotating troops.
“They even carried out a few operations that seemed like deliberate attempts to provoke Ukrainian forces into visually violating a ceasefire — for example, maneuvers that resembled assaults but were conducted under a white flag. It appeared they were trying to provoke a visible breach of the ceasefire,” Trehubov added.
As many as 96 combat engagements between Ukrainian defenders and Russian forces were recorded on April 20, with the highest number taking place in the Pokrovsk sector.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov
Source: Russian forces retreating from western outskirts of Pokrovsk – military spokesperson
