Footage: Russians beg commanders to send them to prison for desertion instead of Pokrovsk kill zone

Among Russian troops, Pokrovsk has become a word spoken with fear—a synonym for annihilation. What was once hailed as a key objective on the map has turned into a death trap that swallows entire assault groups within days. Ukrainian artillery and drones dominate every approach, turning each attempt to advance into a slaughter before the Russians can even reach the town’s outskirts. Reports from intercepted communications and leaked videos reveal soldiers refusing orders, feigning illness, or openly begging to be reassigned rather than face certain death. Commanders respond with threats and forced deployments, sending penal units forward as disposable scouts in a hopeless bid to find weak points that no longer exist. The deeper the Russians push into the ruins of Pokrovsk, the clearer it becomes that they are not capturing territory—they are marching into extinction.

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