Hryshyne clearing operations continue as Russia tries to turn occupied Pokrovsk into a launchpad for the next advance

Ukrainian forces are conducting clearing operations in the central part of Hryshyne, northwest of Donetsk Oblast's Pokrovsk, while simultaneously striking Russian troop concentrations in Pokrovsk's northwest with drones, the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of Ukraine's Airborne Assault Forces reported on 15 March. The Institute for the Study of War confirmed that Russian forces attacked multiple points around Pokrovsk on 14 and 15 March but did not advance.

Clearing operations in Hryshyne's center

The 7th Corps reported that the 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelya and the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade are conducting active search-and-strike operations in Hryshyne, where intense infantry fighting continues. Russian forces are attempting to establish positions in the settlement's built-up areas, but Ukrainian units are systematically detecting and destroying each group before it can consolidate. The 7th Corps said its goal is to drive Russian forces entirely out of the settlement.

ISW assessed that Russia attacked northwest of Pokrovsk near Hryshyne and Serhiivka, north near Rodynske and Bilytske, northeast near Myrnohrad, Zatyshok, and Sukhetske, and southwest near Molodetske and Udachne on both 14 and 15 March — confirming no advances on any of these axes.

Pokrovsk's northwest as a staging zone

While clearing Hryshyne's center, Skelya and the 155th Brigade are also striking Russian personnel concentrations in the northwestern part of Pokrovsk, the 7th Corps noted. The corps identified this area as Russia's current staging ground — the sector where Russian forces are massing troops and preparing for the next push toward Hryshyne, only 3.5 km away from Russian-controlled parts of Pokrovsk. Russia appears to have seized Pokrovsk after a two-year battle in late January 2026, with ISW reporting no Ukrainian forces observed in the city since then.

Earlier this month, Ukraine's Spartan Brigade of the National Guard used a loudspeaker-equipped drone to convince four Russian soldiers to surrender near Pokrovsk.