Russian prisoners captured in recent days on the front of Pokrovsk have revealed that their commanders received a special order from the Kremlin for the days leading up to May 9, the date on which Russia celebrates its victory in World War II. The Z troops have pushed hard, trying to overcome the Ukrainian lines by firing weapons of all calibers, especially guided bombs, fiber optic drones, and Grad rocket salvos.
So far, despite the increased numbers of dead and wounded on both sides, the front line has barely moved, making it seem impossible for Moscow to take control of the ruins of Pokrovsk or to reach the region of Dnipropetrovsk in the coming days, located about six kilometers from the southern front of Donetsk, another of the Kremlin's new targets.
There are several reasons for this, according to analysts who follow the conflict in Ukraine daily. First, the invader's attrition, gradually running out of its large stock of Soviet armored vehicles and resorting to alternatives such as off-road buggies, electric scooters, and motorcycles to assault positions. On the other hand, the constant surveillance of the contact line by Ukrainian drones day and night, which detect any new movement from a distance.
Asked about this new strategy, several Ukrainian soldiers acknowledge to this reporter that the rapid motorcycle advance reveals vulnerabilities of Russia but "makes sense." "It is much more difficult to detect and shoot them down in small, fast groups than in large armored columns," comments Dimitro, a drone operator on the front of Pokrovsk.
It was expected that the city of Pokrovsk would be conquered by the Russians in November or December of last year, but months have passed, and despite daily assaults, there have been no new advances or they have been minimal. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), 27 Russian soldiers die for every square kilometer conquered in recent months. At this rate of progress, Russia would finish conquering all of Ukraine in the year 2256 with over 100 million casualties for a population of 141 million people.
Field hospitals are currently receiving hundreds of wounded, the vast majority due to the terrifying effect of increasingly autonomous drones on both sides. Ambulances transport many of them day and night to the interior of the country.
Far from the front, diplomatic efforts continue not to achieve a peace that no one believes in, because Putin has returned to his maximalist demands, but to appear to Donald Trump as a reliable peacemaker and portray the opponent as a warmonger. That is the game that a ceasefire process without a credible referee has led us to today. There is now a certain fear in the Kremlin that Trump may turn against them after the signing of the mineral agreement with Zelenski and the first major sale of military equipment to Ukraine following the aid veto.
For now, Moscow warns that several extra units of anti-aircraft defense will be on alert around the Russian capital in those days to protect the parade from any drone attack. Kirilo Budanov, the eccentric head of Ukrainian intelligence, has stated that attendees at that military parade "should wear earplugs." Zelenski has said that each attendee must be aware of the dangers involved, although the Ukrainian president refers to a potential Russian false flag operation to justify a major attack on Kiev.