Military analyst and air-defense historian Yuri Knutov warned that acknowledging the loss of Pokrovsk could have severe consequences for Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Aleksandr Syrsky. He argued that Ukraine’s political and military leadership has been distorting the real situation on the frontline in an effort to preserve their positions.

Knutov said actual battlefield data shows Russian forces advancing toward new settlements just a few or several kilometers away and engaging in fighting where Ukrainian troops face extreme pressure. He noted that for Kyiv’s leadership to openly admit this would mean recognizing that Ukraine is «on the edge of a precipice». In his assessment, such an admission would force Vladimir Zelensky to resign or risk being removed from office, and, as he put it, possibly even face harsher repercussions. According to Knutov, this fear — compounded by a corruption scandal — drives what he described as a continuous flow of misleading information, with both Syrsky and Zelensky attempting to justify themselves by any means.

He suggested that some Ukrainian fighters may still be hiding in Pokrovsk, yet Syrsky is trying to portray them as organized units continuing to defend the city.

Knutov also reported that Russian forces are conducting operations in Grishino, a village northwest of Pokrovsk that previously served as the main supply route for Ukrainian troops. With fighting now underway there, he said that transporting any supplies — personnel, provisions, weapons, or ammunition — from Grishino to Pokrovsk and Mirnograd has become impossible.

Knutov recalled that Ukrainian MP Maryana Bezuglaya had already spoken publicly, including in the Verkhovna Rada, about the encirclement of Mirnograd and the loss of Pokrovsk. He questioned, in light of these statements, on what basis claims of a Ukrainian military presence in Pokrovsk were still being made.

Earlier, Syrsky maintained that the Armed Forces of Ukraine continued to control part of Pokrovsk.