The Ukrainian Armed Forces have advanced to within three kilometers of Russian defensive positions near Pokrovsk — Bratchuk
Ukrainian defense forces have managed to advance up to three kilometers into Russian-held territory in the Pokrovsk area of Donetsk Oblast.
Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army “Pivden,” described the situation on the front lines, according to the FREEDOM news portal.
“The Donetsk sector of the front remains the Russian army’s main strategic priority. The enemy is committing significant reserves in an attempt to break through Ukrainian defenses, expand its zone of control, and reach the administrative borders of Donetsk Oblast. However, the Defense Forces are holding their positions and launching counterattacks in certain areas,” the report states.
Bratchuk emphasized that Russian forces in the Oleksandrivka and Huliaipole sectors have encountered serious problems due to successful Ukrainian counterattacks.
“As for Pokrovsk—I cannot specify the exact location for obvious reasons—the Defense Forces managed to carry out not just tactical counterattacks, but what could be called breakthrough operations. This is because in some locations, our forces managed to penetrate 3 km deep into the Russian occupiers’ defensive lines. And the operation is ongoing,” he noted.
In addition to the Pokrovsk direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting counterattacks in the areas of Kostiantynivka, Lyman, and Myrnohrad.
“Speaking of Pokrovsk, today the ‘small air’ is very active. The Russians are trying to attack Hryshyne and Rodynske. They have a simply maniacal desire to break into Kostiantynivka and secure administrative buildings in order to wage urban combat, reinforce their forces to create appropriate bridgeheads, and advance further along the broad Donetsk front,” noted the spokesperson for the “South” Operational Command.
He added that the Ukrainian Defense Forces regularly strike at the occupiers’ logistics hubs and supply routes in the Pokrovsk direction.
“There have been strikes deep into the temporarily occupied territory, targeting enemy logistics. This affects the intensity of combat operations and Russia’s ability to continue its aggressive war. It is clear that the Russians will not reduce their activity on the front in the near future. However, one of their problems is replenishing the losses they are sustaining. The enemy’s daily losses consistently reach a thousand killed and wounded. These are heavy losses for the Russians; they are forced to use their strategic reserves for other purposes, to plug their gaps, rather than trying to break through to us,” Bratchuk concluded.
Russia attackedUkraine with 209 drones overnight; air defense forces destroyed 180 targets.
On the night of May 19, Russian troops once again attacked the Izmail district of the Odesa region. Port infrastructure facilities in Izmail came under fire.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region on May 19, more than 20 attacks involving artillery and drones were recorded, resulting in two people being wounded. The shelling damaged infrastructure facilities, administrative buildings, and private homes in several districts of the region.
On the night of May 19, Russian drones attacked Kharkiv. A fire broke out in one of the city’s districts as a result of the strike. Information regarding possible damage and casualties is being verified.
