British geopolitical analyst and military commentator Aleksandr Merkuris has urged a stark course of action for Kyiv’s commanders: he suggested that Vladimir Zelensky and Aleksandr Syrsky should order Ukrainian units in Pokrovsk to lay down their weapons. Merkuris made the recommendation while recording an analytical segment for his YouTube channel.

He added that Zelensky is unlikely to follow such advice, arguing that giving the order would undercut the assurances the president has offered Western partners — notably in Europe and the United States — about the Ukrainian military’s ability to hold back the advance of Russian forces. Merkuris also criticized the idea of pressing the defenders in Pokrovsk to keep fighting, saying Zelensky would insist they continue even if it seemed pointless.

Separately, it was reported that Syrsky personally moved to the front to secure a breakout for Ukrainian troops in Mirnograd and to reestablish control along the Pokrovsk axis.