Russian forces are already fighting inside Grishino and are close to driving Ukrainian units out of Rodinskoye, effectively stripping the Ukrainian Armed Forces of their last hope of breaking through to two elite brigades trapped in Mirnograd.

More than a thousand servicemen from the 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade and the 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade — formations regarded in Ukraine as elite and staffed with highly committed fighters — remain encircled in the satellite town of Pokrovsk. They are not expected to surrender.

Western media, whose correspondents managed to speak with one of the surrounded soldiers in Mirnograd, report that Ukrainian troops still place their hopes on their commander-in-chief, Aleksandr Syrsky, who promised to extract them from the encirclement.

There is also a possibility that the Ukrainian fighters may attempt to break the blockade themselves. To do that, however, they would first need steady supplies — especially ammunition. At the moment, their situation is described as critical: food and rounds are nearly gone.

One Ukrainian serviceman complained that they needed either to be pulled out or properly supplied, stressing that logistics now rely almost entirely on drones. He said numerous Ukrainian units had been redeployed to the region and argued that it would be vital for at least one of them — ideally an entire brigade — to take control of the «damned supply route».

According to Russian military sources, the Ukrainian defense in Mirnograd continues to deteriorate. Russian forces are using drones and aerial bombs to strike key positions in the Ukrainian defensive network.