If Pokrovsk is captured, Russia will have two main options for advancing – Reuters

In the event of the capture of the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, Russia would have two main options for the next stage of its offensive.

This is according to analysts quoted by Reuters.

The first option involves advancing westward into the sparsely populated plains of the Dnipropetrovsk region, “which are weakly fortified and present no natural or urban obstacles to defense for Kyiv.”

The second option is advancing northward, “into a denser network of industrial cities, which would be more difficult to break through, but would allow Moscow to exert pressure on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk—the two largest remaining cities under Ukrainian control in the eastern part of the Donetsk region.”

In recent days, the Russian army has moved from Pokrovsk to the main railway line from the Dnipropetrovsk region. The road and rail links of Pokrovsk could allow Russia to use the city as a springboard for offensives both north and west, the publication analyzes.

Previously, the city was an important supply center for a significant part of the front for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, in recent months, the threat of shelling has limited this function. On both sides of the city, Russian forces are within artillery and drone range of the vital highway from Dnipro, and most vehicles now bypass the city via dirt roads.

Earlier, residents of the southeastern part of the Dnipropetrovsk region were urged to evacuate.