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Today, there are interesting updates from the Pokrovsk direction.
Here, the Ukrainian forces developed a plan to divert the attention of the Russians from Pokrovsk by targeting the remaining pockets of encircled enemies near Dobropillia.
With hundreds of drones in the air, the Ukrainians slowly tightened the noose and forced the remaining Russian troops on the ground into mass surrendering.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi has prepared a straightforward plan to divert Russian attention and manpower away from the brutal push south of Pokrovsk and east of Myrnohrad by launching a focused Ukrainian counterattack to the north. The goal is twofold: to clear the remaining pockets of encircled Russian troops near Dobropillia and to stabilize this sector, freeing Ukrainian forces to strike from the north and pressure Russian formations threatening Pokrovsk to be reallocated.
Ukraine has already cleared several of these pockets in full and is now conducting operations to eliminate the rest. According to Syrskyi, the renewed offensive in the Dobropillia direction is designed to stretch Russian reserves thin and force them to defend multiple axes at once, thereby preventing the enemy from concentrating its main forces against Pokrovsk.
The Ukrainian forces are now pushing north of Nykanorivka and south through Zatyshok, supporting the wider de-blockading operations around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. A week of brutal fighting has left Zatyshok and the neighboring villages littered with Russian bodies.
One geolocated video shows a single dirt road where corpses lie every ten to fifteen meters, clear proof of the devastating effectiveness of Ukrainian artillery, drones, and ambush tactics. Even more Russians lie dead scattered through the woods nearby, where they were caught trying to retreat or dig in. Realizing their situation was hopeless, many Russian soldiers began surrendering en masse.
Ukrainian drone operators adapted their tactics by mounting loudspeakers on FPV drones, flying low over Russian trenches, and broadcasting surrender instructions. In one confirmed case, two Russian soldiers holed up in a building tried to fortify their position but changed their minds after being targeted by a Vampire hexacopter and several FPV drones one after the other.
They emerged, dropped their rifles, and followed the drone's instructions to Ukrainian lines. Ukrainian reconnaissance later reported that dozens of Russian soldiers surrendered after similar broadcasts, with footage showing how they were taken as prisoners of war.
In other areas, Ukrainian intelligence identified Russian infantry concentrations and coordinated precision strikes using different types of drones and artillery, effectively breaking the remaining organized resistance. Freed from holding encircled sectors, Ukrainian assault and air-assault brigades can use the momentum to strike the Russian northern flank near Rodynske.
With many Russian soldiers choosing to surrender, the Russian command was afraid of a domino effect and a full Ukrainian breakthrough that could cause the entire northern flank to be exposed. To prevent the risk of the main encircling effort being destroyed, the Russian officers hastily diverted reserves from Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad to try to plug the gap. However, their timing could not have been worse, as the autumn mud season has arrived. Several Russian columns, including armored vehicles and supply trucks, became bogged down in the soaked terrain while attempting to maneuver toward Dobropillia.
In one incident, five armored vehicles advanced into the area to reinforce the collapsing front, but three of them got stuck in the mud, forcing their crews to abandon the vehicles and wade through flooded ditches. Precision strikes with HIMARS rockets obliterated the convoy, while Ukrainian FPV drones and hexacopters finished off the remaining vehicles by dropping high-explosive charges directly onto their hulls.
Russian military bloggers tried to downplay the disaster, claiming that the infantry had managed to dismount and fortify their positions, but geolocate evidence tells a different story of burned-out armored columns and hundreds of Russian bodies scattered across open fields and trenches.
Overall, the Ukrainian clearing operation achieved its objective to divert Russian attention from Pokrovsk, forcing the enemy to reallocate troops after several positions collapsed. Syrskyi’s plan of targeting the northern flank aims to restore much-needed breathing room to Ukrainian defenders in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. It remains to be seen whether the Russian command will allow the northern front to disintegrate to maintain their push from the south, but every attempt to support those near Dobropillia has only deepened the catastrophe, leaving the Russians with more losses.
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