Pokrovsk has become a symbol of a new stage in the Russian-Ukrainian war - a confrontation in a dense urban area, where the actual front line disappears. Small groups of Russian saboteurs penetrate the city, disguise themselves as civilians or Ukrainian soldiers and point-blank undermine the defenses. Ukrainian units are forced to work in a constant fog of suspicion, where the enemy may be very close, writes The Telegraph.
“ We drove right past them ,” recalls Ivan, a 21-year-old machine gunner from the “Da Vinci Wolves” unmanned systems unit. Outwardly, the saboteurs were no different from Ukrainian fighters. Similar episodes in Pokrovsk have already become commonplace.
According to analysts, the Russian army has changed tactics and switched to a “demechanized” war format — without large columns of equipment that are easily detected by drones. Instead, the Russian Federation is advancing in very small groups of 3–5 people.
“ The front line is blurring ,” explains Finnish analyst Emil Kastehelmi.
Russian reconnaissance drones are searching for gaps in the Ukrainian defenses. Due to the lack of personnel and constant aerial reconnaissance pressure, it is practically impossible to completely close the city from infiltration. Small enemy groups enter Pokrovsk on bicycles, motorcycles, civilian vehicles, or on foot, taking advantage of the fog and rain.
One of the main problems was the inability to quickly determine who is in front of you - your friend or the enemy. The Ukrainian military returned to the tactic of test words. One of the key ones is “palyanitsa”. But even this does not always help.
The risks of friendly fire are increasing. One of the commanders recalls how the fighters were forbidden to open fire on the infantry fighting vehicle, because it was supposedly “one of their own.” It turned out that it was a Russian vehicle. It was destroyed by a drone only after the situation was clarified. In another case, the Ukrainian brigade mistakenly eliminated its own ground-based drones “Termites.”
Combat drones have become a key tool of Ukrainian defense in the city. They are the ones who find saboteurs and strike their hideouts. Therefore, Russian groups are the first to try to reach the operators — and kill them.
“ Our second echelon is not working, but it delivers 90% of the strikes ,” the military say. Without these strikes, it is more difficult to stop small enemy groups on the approach to the city.
According to Deep State, Russia currently controls at least half of Pokrovsk. The rest of the territory is a gray area where fighting is sporadic and chaotic. There is no area that Ukrainian forces fully control.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously claimed there were about 300 Russian saboteurs in the city, but the military says the real figure could be much higher.
Elite units were deployed to Pokrovsk. Azov fighters tried to stabilize the front in the summer, and GUR special forces arrived in Black Hawk helicopters to restore logistics and coordination. However, the Russian tactic of slow penetration continues to work.
Pokrovsk remains a key point before possible Russian strikes on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Analysts do not predict a rapid breakthrough by the enemy, as the tactics of small groups do not provide for rapid advancement.
“ If you just push the infantry forward, at some level you will be stopped ,” Castelhelmi notes.
While the capture of Pokrovsk does not guarantee Russia quick control over Donbas, the infiltration tactic has one critical advantage — it is extremely difficult to stop.
