Ukraine deploys new German tanks, French howitzers in Pokrovsk: Great barrier against Russian attack

A new Ukrainian mechanized brigade and its Leopard 2 tanks could strengthen the defense of Pokrovsk - just before a possible Russian offensive, writes Forbes .

Christmas passed in Pokrovsk in an uneasy silence. The city, an important transport hub in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, had a population of about 60,000 before Russia began its war against Ukraine in February 2022. Now there are very few civilians left in the city - mostly Ukrainian army troops.

"There is an unpleasant silence in the city... the calm before the storm," shared volunteer fighter Denis Khristov.

This storm has a name: the Russian Army's 90th Guards Tank Division. It is a key element of Russia's powerful ground forces, which include dozens of brigades and regiments across two field armies, totaling up to 70,000 troops. These forces areadvancing toward Pokrovsk, seeking to capture the city as the war enters its fourth year.

The Ukrainian garrison in and around Pokrovsk is considerably smaller: up to 10 brigades, each with no more than 2,000 soldiers. However, the Ukrainians are receiving important support. One of the newest brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the 155th Mechanized Brigade, is deployed near the city. It includes German Leopard 2 tanks and French Caesar howitzers, which the brigade received after exercises in France and Poland.

Russian forces continue to advance toward Pokrovsk. The nearest units are only 6.4 kilometers from the city. Along the 1,287-kilometer front line, Russian troops are conducting offensive operations both in western Russia and in the north, east, and south of Ukraine. In the Kursk region, Russian attacks have a separate objective, but their results may affect the future battle for Pokrovsk.

According to the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies, Russian units south of Pokrovsk are advancing to establish a defensive line that could keep Ukrainian forces from strengthening Pokrovsk's defenses or breaking the blockade of the city.

Ukrainian forces will likely try to counter this by moving several brigades and battalions. After this possible maneuver, another important stage could occur - a short Russian offensive north of Pokrovsk, aimed at partially encircling the city before the main battle for the transport hub begins.

By then, the 155th Mechanized Brigade should be fully deployed in Pokrovsk, with German tanks, French howitzers and 2,000 new troops at its disposal. Whether these forces will be enough to hold the city is a key question in this phase of the war, which has already killed and maimed more than a million people, most of them Russians.

Let us recall that analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War have stated that Russian troops are gradually advancing near Pokrovsk, but it is not yet known whether they intend to capture the city or plan to advance to the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk regions as part of the Kremlin’s political and informational goal of capturingthe entire Donetsk region.