Russian forces continue advance in the Pokrovsk area, but their ultimate goals remain unclear.
This was reported by URA-Inform with reference to ISW.
Experts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggest that Moscow may seek either to capture the city or to advance towards the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk regions in order to achieve political and propaganda goals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to focus on territorial gains rather than capturing key cities, according to an analysis.
«Putin has increasingly characterized Russian offensives in square kilometers, rather than emphasizing the capture of specific towns, as he has done in the past. Putin may have instructed Russian military commanders to delay the capture of Pokrovsk in favor of making further gains through open fields and smaller towns as Russian forces approach the administrative border of the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, analysts say.
Geolocation data confirms that Russian troops are about 10 kilometers from the border of the Donetsk region, which may indicate that the Kremlin is pushing toward the administrative borders of the region, bypassing large towns like Pokrovsk.
Experts note that capturing the entire Donetsk region has long been a Kremlin goal. Putin likely plans to use the troop advance to demonstrate successes both domestically and internationally. However, an attack on well-fortified cities could significantly slow down the pace of Russian forces' advance, which would weaken the Kremlin's efforts to create an image of military victory in the international arena.
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