Russian forces are trying to entrench themselves in every settlement along the administrative border of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions at the cost of heavy personnel losses, aiming to present an illusion of "triumph" for Russian propagandists.
This was stated on air by Major Viktor Tregubov, spokesperson for the Khortytsia operational-strategic group of forces.
According to him, over the past three weeks, the most active combat has taken place in the Pokrovsk, Lyman, and Novopavlivka directions. In the Lyman direction, the number of Russian assaults has remained steady, with their tactics unchanged from the past six months.
"In the Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka directions, we are seeing a real escalation. This is part of Russia’s summer campaign and pressure strategy, to which they have recently committed most of their efforts—especially in the Pokrovsk direction and particularly in their attempt to advance between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka," Tregubov said.
He noted that currently, Russian forces are expending a significant number of personnel, primarily infantry, simply to seize as much territory as possible in the Pokrovsk direction—east of Pokrovsk, south of Kosynivka—in order to gain a foothold in any settlements. A huge number of troops, mainly infantry, are being used for this purpose.
In the Novopavlivka direction, Tregubov added, Russian efforts resemble an attempt to hold onto settlements along the administrative border of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
"The goal is to demonstrate at least some real presence in Dnipropetrovsk region—or at least along its administrative border—so that all the statements they've been making for nearly a month now have some factual backing. Something they can show off daily—not just fabricated footage with a flag staged at a random location, but something tangible they can bring Russian journalists to and present as a major victory. That’s where a large amount of manpower is being used. In the Pokrovsk direction, however, their actions are more strategic, aimed at posing a threat to Kostiantynivka and the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration," Tregubov explained.
