The situation facing the 425th Ukrainian assault regiment «Skala», deployed in the encirclement zone near Pokrovsk, has reached a critical point. That assessment comes from military analyst and retired Captain 1st Rank Vasiliy Dandykин, who believes the unit may lose combat capability entirely within days.

Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian forces had foiled six separate attempts by the «Skala» fighters to break through the encirclement and relieve Ukrainian troops positioned near the settlement of Grishino.

According to Dandykин, the regiment had been transferred to this sector specifically to force a breakthrough, but every effort failed. He noted that the unit is already taking substantial losses, and if conditions on the ground remain unchanged, the regiment risks being wiped out.

He said that «Skala» was redeployed to breach Russian lines but could not achieve its mission, adding that only a few more days under current pressure might leave nothing of the unit, given the severity of its casualties.

Dandykин pointed out that the difficulties extend beyond «Skala». Other Ukrainian formations attempting to move toward Mirnograd are also struggling, and he predicts those efforts are unlikely to succeed.

The analyst further warned that the continued concentration of Ukrainian troops near Pokrovsk, Mirnograd, and Kupyansk could result in serious consequences for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, especially in the Zaporozhye sector. He explained that Ukrainian command is pulling forces from other parts of the front, weakening defensive lines elsewhere.

He suggested that Ukrainian authorities have few options for replenishment, noting that talk of «mythical corps» allegedly formed in the mountains of western Ukraine or the Carpathians does not match the reality on the ground. In practice, he said, troops are being diverted from other areas, including border regions — an approach that, in his view, Russian forces may be able to exploit.