Russians pulling reinforcements to Pokrovsk sector, Dobropillia salient

Oleksii Bielskyi, Spokesperson for the Dnipro Operational Strategic Group of Troops, said this live on television, Ukrinform reports.

“Across the entire Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration yesterday, there were 39 clashes. This is one of the hottest directions right now. As of now, there have already been more than 20 clashes there today, and the day is still far from over,” Bielskyi said.

He recalled that the Ukrainian Armed Forces cleared Pokrovsk, liberated Udachne and Novoekonomichne, and are destroying Russian reinforcements moving toward Dobropillia.

According to him, the invaders are trying at all costs to maintain control of the so-called Dobropillia salient, pulling reserves there from south to north.

“There is a narrow corridor there, about six kilometers wide. It is under complete fire control of Ukrainian forces. Artillery, mortars, ATGMs, bombers are working there. One of the brigades reported they had captured a prisoner. To the north, there are only dirt roads. Prisoners say they call them ‘roads of death’ – they can be killed along the way, or left dead under Dobropillia. It’s a one-way road,” Bielskyi explained.

In the Novopavlivka sectror, on the border with Dnipropetrovsk region, 28 clashes occurred over the past day.

“The situation in this sector remains tense but under control. The invaders are sending many assault groups. If earlier these were groups of five, now they are mostly twos or even single soldiers. The task is simple: to reach Ukrainian positions, wait for others to arrive, or, if possible, establish a foothold,” Bielskyi said.

According to him, heavy fighting continues in the Novopavlivka sector, especially near the village of Voskresenka, right on the Donetsk–Dnipropetrovsk administrative border.

“They enter in small groups, plant their rag [flag], film a video. These are so-called ‘death squads.’ Usually, such groups are quickly detected and destroyed by our forces. The situation there is dynamic and developing quickly – they come, they are destroyed. Our forces advance, then theirs, and so on. I cannot say that Russians have entrenched in Dnipropetrovsk region – we have no evidence of that. Perhaps they entered briefly and were eliminated,” the spokesperson said.

Bielskyi also noted that Russians are redeploying troops from Sumy and Kherson directions into Donetsk region.

“They are bringing in marines, motorized rifle battalions, infantry, and remnants of units they had held in reserve for the entire summer campaign. Most of this reinforcement is going to the Pokrovsk sector and the Dobropillia salient, which they desperately want to keep under control in order to advance westward to take Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, and eastward to try to encircle Kostiantynivka. They are already attempting to move east to cut Ukrainian logistics routes,” Bielskyi added.

As reported earlier, soldiers of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade of Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces stopped a Russian attempt to advance on Pokrovsk in Donetsk region and destroyed enemy equipment.