Russians Attempt to Seize Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka Road, A Vital Logistical Artery

The Pokrovsk direction is one of the most intense battlegrounds right now, said the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Russian forces have amassed considerable resources in this area, pushing forward at a great cost. 

"The enemy advances at a high price," Syrskyi notes, indicating that Ukrainian forces neutralize up to 300 Russian soldiers daily along this route.

One of the primary objectives of the Russian army, Syrskyi explains, is to take control of this route. The T0504 highway originates from the major regional center—the city of Dnipro—and passes through Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region. It holds significant strategic value, functioning as a logistical artery that enables the rapid delivery of ammunition, soldiers, and equipment to the Donetsk region.

Roads are critical in warfare because quality surfaces allow for swift logistics operations and the evacuation of wounded soldiers. The highway from Kostiantynivka to Pokrovsk and further to Dnipro exemplifies this: it is well-paved, often wide, and thus facilitates fast movement. This is particularly crucial for evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the front lines to hospitals in Dnipro and beyond.

The road is not yet under direct fire control, with more than 10 kilometers still separating it from the front lines, used by civilians living in the Donetsk region.

Important, but not the only route

Western media often refer to the Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka route as the "road of life," though this is not entirely accurate.

The T0504 highway is indeed the most convenient way to travel from Pokrovsk to Kostiantynivka, making it a primary supply artery for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donetsk region. However, it is not the only route.

Supplies to Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka can also be delivered from Kharkiv via Izyum and then through Kramatorsk and Slovyansk. These routes also have good-quality roads, which the Ukrainian forces already use as important logistical pathways.

To continue supplying from Dnipro, the Ukrainian military can utilize other bypass routes across two regions. While these alternatives may be less fast and convenient, they are available. A potential slowdown in logistics could occur, but not a complete halt.

However, none of these alternative routes are as critical as the supply routes used to support Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut in 2023, when Russia launched an offensive on the city. Back then, the situation was far more dire, and every supply route held critical importance.

The Russians still have considerable work to do to bring the T0504 highway under fire control, and even more to seize it. The potential operation to take Pokrovsk is considered even more challenging than the situation in Avdiivka, which the Russians attempted to capture for many years, ultimately losing around 40,000 soldiers in the process.

Kursk operation

Ukraine continues to expand its presence in Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine now controls around 100 villages and nearly 1,300 square kilometers of territory, reported Syrskyi. Military commandant's offices have been established in the territories under Ukrainian control.

One of the objectives of the Kursk operation is to divert Russian army reserves from the front lines. Russia has redeployed about 30,000 troops from Ukraine to this direction, Ukraine’s General Staff reported. Despite this, pressure on the Pokrovsk direction persists, with Russia continuously deploying new reserves in an attempt to gain control over the Donetsk region. Syrskyi states that Russia is intensifying its efforts and continues to advance in the Pokrovsk direction. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian offensive actions in the Pokrovsk direction were more intense before the start of the Kursk operation.

President Zelenskyy also emphasized that Russia could lose up to 50,000-60,000 troops in the battle for the city. 

"Ukraine cannot afford such losses," Zelenskyy said.