The situation on the front line in the Donetsk region has spiraled out of control, according to Roman Ponomarenko, an officer of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade, “Azov,” of the Ukrainian National Guard.
“For a long time, the situation in Donbas was aptly described as ‘difficult, but controlled,’” Ponomarenko wrote on Telegram. “However, now it is out of control. Currently, it looks like our front in Donbas has collapsed.”
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He stated that the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) is disorganized, with troops exhausted, weakened, and many units demoralized.
“The reinforcements we’re receiving are mostly ‘busified’” (a slang term for those who were forcibly mobilized, literally meaning they were ‘caught,’ put on a bus, and drafted into the army), Ponomarenko wrote. “This doesn’t help; in fact, it complicates the combat operations of the units.”
He added that Russian forces are not advancing deeper only because they are as exhausted as the Ukrainian troops. Despite this, Ponomarenko said that the Russians maintain a significant numerical advantage and have virtually unlimited ammunition supplies.
“Their offensive continues, and we cannot stop it at the moment. And the AFU operation in the Kursk region is not the reason for that,” he said.
“I have doubts that our command has any comprehensive plan for all of this,” the officer added.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December, 21, 2024
In his view, counterattacks in other parts of the front may yield results, but they will only be meaningful if the front in Donbas holds.
Ponomarenko also said there’s a need for more effective measures to improve discipline in the army, warning that “the situation is on the edge, and forcibly mobilized reinforcements only exacerbate it.”
Ukrainian defender and paramedic Kateryna Polishchuk, known by the call sign “Ptashka,” or “Birdie” also commented on the dire situation on the Pokrovsk front line in a Facebook post.
“In the Pokrovsk sector, it's a full as a*s. No exaggeration. While everyone is cheering about Kursk, Pokrovsk has a few weeks left,” she wrote.
She said that towns where she had coffee just a month ago are now occupied, and First Person View (FPV) drones are already targeting the town where she had lived for the past two weeks.
“All the safe villages where I rested after the positions are now occupied. The deep rear, where I refueled the car and cared for the wounded, is now the front line,” Polishchuk reported.
“And I don't give a s**t about the command, their ambitions, stars, and interests. The guys need help... I can’t allow another Mariupol to happen,” she added. “I can’t let hundreds of my friends die because of a few high-ranking careerist imbeciles.”
Russian forces have been steadily advancing towards Pokrovsk and frequently claim to have taken control of nearby villages.
Russian tanks and infantry, supported by heavy artillery and air strikes, captured a key settlement and gained new ground in the eastern Donbas sector on Tuesday, Aug. 27, according to field and media reports.
Ukrainian troops, facing a 4-to-1 firepower disadvantage, were widely reported to have withdrawn from Novohrodivka, a sizable town with a pre-war population of 14,000, after three days of intense urban fighting against Kremlin forces. Despite this, by Wednesday morning, Ukraine’s military had not officially confirmed the loss.
Although total Russian control of Novohrodivka could not be fully verified by independent sources, it was clear that Kremlin forces had advanced 2 km (1.2 miles) in recent days, pushing deep into Ukrainian defenses, which were struggling to hold their positions, according to analysts.
Some Ukrainian milbloggers, without providing evidence, claimed that Kyiv’s troops evacuated Novohrodivka in a panic, abandoning weapons and fleeing in disarray. However, the ISW report suggested that at least some Ukrainian forces had retreated in an organized manner.
On Wednesday, some Ukrainian media outlets criticized the AFU for losing the town in just 72 hours, contrasting it with the bitter resistance seen in cities like Avdiivka and Bakhmut, where the Kremlin’s forces took months and suffered thousands of casualties to achieve similar gains.
In a Wednesday editorial, Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov warned of a potential collapse in Ukrainian defenses, stating, “The situation in the Pokrovsk sector is no longer critical; it is already catastrophic. Despite Zelensky’s promise, no substantial fortifications were built there. Now there is a complete loss of control at the operational and tactical levels.”
Speaking to reporters via video link, Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrsky reported that military intelligence estimates the Kremlin plans to concentrate 50,000 to 60,000 troops for its Donbas offensive. He also said that roughly one in every three combat engagements along the entire Russo-Ukrainian War front is taking place in the Pokrovsk sector.
Syrsky described the situation in the Donbas sector as “extremely difficult.”
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