Commander of 7th Air Assault Corps explains why Ukrainian forces sacrificed Pokrovsk

Yevhen Lasiichuk, Commander of the 7th Air Assault Corps, has confirmed in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda that in the summer of 2025, the defence forces sacrificed Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast in order to commit reserves to Dobropillia and thwart Russian plans to envelop the entire Donetsk Oblast.

Source: Lasiichuk in an interview with UP (English translation coming soon)

Quote from Lasiichuk: "At that moment, the military leadership had to react to the enemy's active operations. Choosing between Pokrovsk and Dobropillia – that is, where to send the reserve – Dobropillia was chosen, and correctly so. Otherwise, the enemy would have gained control over a wide front to an operational depth."

Details: Lasiichuk said that to prevent the Russians from bypassing the whole of Donetsk Oblast – from the south towards Dobropillia and from the north towards Barvinkove – "the military leadership made the decision to stabilise the situation there [in Dobropillia] and restore lost positions as much as possible".

"Our corps brigades, among others, were deployed there," he said.

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