The pace of advancement of Russian troops in the Pokrovsk direction remains relatively slow, probably partly because the Russian military command continues to conduct exhausting offensive operations throughout the theater of military operations. This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), informs UNN.
Details
Analysts continue to observe relatively few geolocated videos of Russian troop advances in and near Pokrovsk in early November 2025 compared to confirmed advances in mid-to-late October 2025.
Geolocated footage published on November 10 and 11 indicates that Russian troops advanced southeast of Pokrovsk and made minor advances southeast of Myrnohrad (east of Pokrovsk), respectively.
They note that Russian forces are likely attempting to conduct successful ground assaults to seize and hold additional territory despite a successful battlefield air interdiction campaign and infiltration missions aimed at weakening Ukrainian defensive and logistical assets in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
The Russian military command has allocated better trained and equipped units for intelligence and infiltration missions than for ground assaults. ... Russian forces are also trying to expand logistics that would allow Russian infantry that has already infiltrated Pokrovsk to consolidate positions and accumulate personnel for further assaults.
ISW concludes that Russian forces will most likely capture Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, but will spend more time and suffer greater losses than if the Russian military command had concentrated more resources from other parts of the front in this direction.
"The Russian military command is likely also seeking to maintain the appearance that Russian forces are making significant progress throughout the theater of military operations, which contradicts the reality on the battlefield, and the redeployment of forces and means from some sections of the front on a scale necessary for rapid success in the Pokrovsk direction would undermine this Russian narrative," analysts summarize.
Recall
The 7th Airborne Assault Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the penetration of more than 300 Russians into Pokrovsk through the southern outskirts on light equipment, using fog. The defense forces destroyed 162 occupiers, and 39 more were wounded.