Ukrainian forces liberate 16 km² near Pokrovsk, top general says

Ukrainian defense forces have liberated approximately 16 square kilometers of territory near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, according to Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.

A post by Syrskyi’s Facebook account reported on 17 April that the territory was reclaimed in the area of Udachne, Kotlyne, and Shevchenko settlements, all located near the Ukrainian key logistics hub, Pokrovsk city in Donetsk Oblast.

“Over the past weeks, we have liberated about 16 square kilometers of territory in the area of Udachne, Kotlyne, and Shevchenko settlements,” the Facebook post reads.

The top general spent three days visiting brigades in the operational zone of the Donetsk Operational Tactical Group, which his Facebook account described on his behalf as “the most powerful grouping of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, which bears the main burden of opposing the enemy’s spring offensive and destroys its best forces and means.”

According to the report, Ukrainian soldiers in the Pokrovsk direction stop approximately 30 Russian assault actions daily and inflict significant losses on Russian occupiers.

During his visit, Syrskyi received reports from Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the operational-tactical group, and worked with brigade commanders at their command posts. He addressed problematic issues regarding combat operations organization and supply of ammunition and material resources.

The commander-in-chief issued necessary orders to resolve problems and meet existing needs, stating that preparation of combat units should be “a constant object of control by the brigade commander and the direct responsibility of the battalion commander.“

Syrskyi reported that the enemy has not changed its plans to push Ukrainian Armed Forces units beyond Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and reach the administrative borders of these oblasts. However, he stated that “the enemy’s plan remains unrealized.”

The most recent gains, according to the Deep State frontline monitoring project, include Russian advances near Kotliarivka and in the Zaporizhzhia area on 16 April. Meanwhile, on 15 April, Ukrainian forces recaptured ground near Vidrodzhennia and Dniproenerhiya, while Russian troops advanced near Nadiyivka and Sukha Balka.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War reported on 16 April incremental Russian advances near Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk Oblast.