(POKROVSK, DONETSK REGION) – Putin’s Pokrovsk Gamble ‘Bleeding Russia Dry’ as Heavy Losses Mount in Ukraine
Russia is losing between 700 and 800 soldiers a day in its slow and costly attempt to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, according to Cormac Smith, a former British diplomat who worked with the Ukrainian government. He says the battle has become a symbol of Russia’s desperation and Ukraine’s resilience as fighting continues street by street.
Smith, who spoke on the programme Front Line with defence analyst Philip Ingram, said Ukrainian troops are still managing to keep supply corridors open and rotate forces despite relentless Russian pressure. He described the situation as “very difficult” but said the defenders are still holding their ground.
“The Russians are taking the city slowly, but at enormous cost,” he said. “Pokrovsk is bleeding Russia dry. It is buying Ukraine vital time elsewhere on the front.”
Military analysts believe that the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin views the battle for Pokrovsk as a political and symbolic objective. Securing the city would give Moscow a short-term propaganda victory ahead of the year’s end, though the military gains would be limited.
According to Smith, Russia has committed between 100,000 and 150,000 troops to the offensive but has made only marginal territorial gains in the past year. The losses are reminiscent of the siege of Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces held out against overwhelming odds in 2022.
Comparing Pokrovsk to the historic farmhouse at Waterloo, Smith noted that Ukrainian defenders are turning the city into a “grinding battlefield” that forces Russia to pay heavily for every metre gained.
Former British Army intelligence officer Philip Ingram said the nature of the battle shows how modern warfare in Ukraine has evolved. “There is no clear front line,” he explained. “Both sides control scattered pockets of the city, and fighting takes place block by block. Each side plants flags for propaganda, but control shifts constantly.”
Ingram added that Pokrovsk has become a psychological trap for Moscow. “The Russians have decided they must capture it at any cost. That fixation is tying down huge numbers of troops and equipment, while Ukraine continues to strike Russia’s logistical and industrial bases.”
Ukrainian forces, he said, are using the time gained in Pokrovsk to weaken Russia’s broader war effort by attacking military production, supply routes and fuel infrastructure. “Ukraine is trading space for time,” he said. “Every day the city holds, Russia’s economy and morale suffer further.”
Smith also referred to comments by former Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now ambassador to the United Kingdom, who recently wrote that “words are now a weapon.” His article argued that the only effective way to deal with Russia is from a position of power, not compromise.
Zaluzhnyi wrote that Russian negotiators “fight to exhaust, confuse, and divide” and that their goal “is not peace, but delay — conquest through deception.” Smith said the West still struggles to grasp this reality. “Our leaders have not learned that diplomacy with Russia is simply another front in its war,” he said.
The former head of Ukraine’s military urged Western governments to listen more closely to Ukraine and its neighbours, who have lived under Russian domination. “We must learn to see Russia through Ukrainian eyes,” he said. “These people understand the Kremlin’s mindset far better than we do.”
While the Kremlin intensifies attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, Ukraine has struck back at Russia’s oil refineries and depots, cutting into Moscow’s war revenues. Analysts say this economic pressure is beginning to show. Russia’s war spending now consumes a large share of its national budget, while sanctions continue to squeeze its industries.
| Estimated Daily Russian Casualties | 700–800 soldiers |
|---|---|
| Troops Committed to Pokrovsk Front | 100,000–150,000 |
| Russian Advance Over Past Year | Approx. 10 miles |
Smith concluded that Ukraine’s defenders are achieving more than just tactical success. “Every day Russia spends men and money in Pokrovsk, Ukraine grows stronger elsewhere. This city may prove to be Putin’s most expensive illusion.”
