Russians' attempts to approach highway to Dnipro in Pokrovsk sector ongoing – military spox

In the Pokrovsk sector, Russian forces are complaining about a lack of personnel and the dominance of Ukrainian drones.

According to Ukrinform, Viktor Trehubov, Spokesperson for the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group of Troops, stated this on air while answering questions about Russian attempts to cut off the highway to Dnipro in the Pokrovsk sector of the front.

"They have even retreated slightly compared to the situation two weeks ago when a Ukrainian counterattack in Pishchane and Kotlyne caught them off guard, reclaiming some territory. They are now actively advancing towards Pishchane again, trying to regain the lost ground. At the same time, the Russians are complaining that they are running out of personnel — which is quite surprising for Russia. They also report that Ukrainian drones dominate the airspace in this area, and their guided aerial bombs have become less effective. As a result, the Russian forces are suffering high casualties and are unable to advance effectively in the direction they had planned," Trehubov said.

At the same time, Trehubov noted that the Russian troops aimed to cut off the highway to Dnipro by first bringing it under fire control and then establishing physical control over it. However, given the current course of their offensive, they are unlikely to achieve this goal.

"Right now, they are simply grinding down their forces and exhausting them both quantitatively and qualitatively," he added.

Additionally, Trehubov mentioned that despite months of intense fighting in Toretsk and Chasiv Yar, these towns remain under Ukrainian control.

According to Ukrinform, the pressure from the Russian forces in the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group of Troops has somewhat decreased in the first three days of March.