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Today, there is dangerous news from the Pokrovsk direction.
Here, the Russians push towards Myrnohrad from several directions, facing fierce Ukrainian resistance. With the battle looming in full force, another darker reality in the Russian army came to light, as many soldiers risk being sent to their death by their commanders if they don’t pay their way out.
The battle for Myrnohrad has intensified, with Russian forces attacking from multiple directions, attempting to penetrate inside the town and cut it off from the Ukrainian defensive network around Pokrovsk. The main Russian encirclement efforts come from the south from Hrodivka and from the north near Rodynske, while additional direct pressure mounts from Novoekonomichne, where constant skirmishes take place in the grey zone between the lines. Ukrainian soldiers on the ground report the situation as increasingly difficult, with artillery and drone fire saturating every approach.
Yet, Ukraine continues to hold, with defenders maintaining positions in the southeast high-rises and the northeastern private sector. Small-scale Ukrainian counterattacks continue to push back Russian assault groups and infiltrators, often undersupplied, outnumbered, and outskilled in a direct one-on-on fight.
The Russians have deployed 27,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad area, supported by around 360 armored vehicles and 160 artillery systems, with President Zelensky stating that Ukraine’s defenders are outnumbered eight to one but still resist.
Russian efforts to enter Myrnohrad were confirmed by a Ukrainian spokesperson, but confirmed that Myrnohrad remains under Ukrainian control. Geolocated videos show the symbolic destruction of a heavily armored Russian turtle tank on one of the approaches. The vehicle bypassed the dragon’s teeth fortifications through a gap on the road but was destroyed by a Ukrainian FPV drone just as it passed under a gas pipeline arch.
The surviving infantry were then eliminated by drone-dropped munitions, unable to make it into any buildings to hide. The tank exploded in a massive fireball, as Russians were symbolically destroyed at a gate into the city.
Behind this staggering attrition lies a darker truth, as Russian generals have found ways to turn this massacre into profit. Investigations reveal widespread extortion and corruption across frontline units. Ordinary soldiers are forced to pay their commanders not to be sent on suicidal assaults into Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. Those who cannot or refuse to pay are simply reset, a term used inside the Russian army for execution or deliberate death in a suicidal assault.
Journalists have identified 101 Russian officers accused of extrajudicial killings and extortion, with over 12,000 complaints filed to the Russian Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office since the invasion began. Yet only ten criminal cases have been opened and five convictions issued, a reflection of what soldiers describe as an unwritten ban on investigating field commanders.
The reasons for being reset are disturbingly broad: refusal to storm Ukrainian positions, alcohol consumption, disobedience, or even minor arguments with superiors. Still, in many cases, it comes down purely to money. Soldiers who fail to pay extortion fees, often demanded for protection, better food, or basic leave, are sent to the frontlines without fire support, communication, or even body armor.
They are thrown into suicidal probing missions meant to expose Ukrainian firing positions, while others are executed behind the lines. The extent of atrocities is so large that one mobilized Russian soldier hinted that when the soldiers come back after the war, prison won't scare them anymore, and the officers will have to hide to avoid vengeance.
Overall, as the Ukrainian units continue to bleed the Russians around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, each meter of ground costs the Russians hundreds of dead, not only because of Ukrainian resistance but also because of Russian corruption and cruelty.
Generals enrich themselves while soldiers must pay with their last rubles or signing bonusses to avoid being sent to certain death. Still, the battle for Myrnohrad rages on, its outcome uncertain, but for some Russian officers, the war has become a profitable massacre, where human life is just another expendable commodity.
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