Squeezing ‘The Pocket’: Russian Forces Tighten Grip On Pokrovsk

Russian troops are finalizing the operational encirclement of the forces defending Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. Ukrainian forces have launched five counterattacks in the Oleksiyivka area. Russian units of the 70th Regiment have consolidated their positions in Mala Tokmachka. The Hungarian government, led by Viktor Orbán, has launched a major petition campaign against the European Union’s military strategy.

Pokrovsk Direction:

The Pokrovsk area remains the most intense sector of the front line, with Russian forces carrying out dozens of assaults every day. The main recent development is a tactical breakthrough achieved by Russian units.

The primary event in this sector is the advance of Russian forces from the Hrodivka area, bypassing Promin to the north and entering Moskovske (Kozatske). Having crossed the Sienna River, they reached the outskirts of Myrnohrad in the private sector near Sedova Street. Simultaneously, other Russian units entered the northern part and southern outskirts of Balagan. Most of Moskovske is now under Russian control, and Ukrainian forces in Balagan are under pressure from the north and south.

This breakthrough has placed Ukrainian groups in the northern part of Myroliubivka and Mikhaylivka in a critical position, practically surrounding them. The only remaining corridor for these forces is a narrow strip of land roughly 500 metres wide located east of the Balagan–Moskovske area. While clearing these settlements, Russian units have advanced up to 1 km in the south-eastern part. Ukrainian groups near School No. 1 in Novoekonomichne and at a strongpoint on the western outskirts are also almost surrounded.

Advance from the North: From the north, Russian forces have advanced from the Krasnyi Lyman settlement towards the farms on the northwestern outskirts of Myrnohrad. This puts additional pressure on the defences of Myrnohrad (also known as Dymytriv).

Sumy Direction:

Fierce fighting continues along the entire front. The Russian command reports that Airborne Forces and Naval Infantry assault groups advanced 300 meters along tree lines and subsequently consolidated on new lines.

The Ukrainian side reportedly undertook five counterattacks in the Oleksiyivka area and adjacent forest belts, deploying the 225th Separate Assault Regiment and the 71st Separate Jäger Brigade. According to Russian reports, all attacks were repelled, resulting in significant losses of personnel and equipment. In the Tetkino and Hlushkivka sectors, there have been no significant changes; as yesterday, artillery struck identified positions in the Iskriskivshchyna and Ryzhevka areas.

Kharkiv Direction:

Combat operations are concentrated in the Vovchansk area and the Khatnie sector. According to Russian data, their units advanced 400 meters in the forest west of Synelnykove, where they occupied one position.

In Vovchansk, assault groups are advancing on the left bank of the Vovcha River and in the eastern part of the city, specifically in the Tykhe area. The total advance here is estimated at 600 meters. In the Melove-Khatnie sector, units advanced 900 meters with air and artillery support. No significant activity was reported on the Lyptsi sector of the front.

Kupiansk Direction:

Russian units have advanced towards the Kupiansk central hospital and the surrounding multi-story buildings. Combat continues in Petropavlivka and the southern part of Zahryzove. Encounter engagements are reported in the north and east of Yampil.

Dnipropetrovsk Direction:

According to reports, Russian units breached the defense with a swift thrust towards Oleksiyivka, where battles for the settlement began. Further south, an advance from the Verbove area has been noted, where a defensive area up to 1.5 km deep has been brought under control. At the junction of the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, the control zone continues to expand in the vicinity of Novohryhorivka, and the right bank of the Yanchur River is being cleared on the Uspenivka–Malynivka line.

Zaporizhzhia Direction:

The main events in this direction are unfolding in the Prymorske–Stepnohirsk area, as well as near Mala Tokmachka. Russian airborne units are continuing their offensive towards Stepnohirsk, Lukianivka and Novoyakovlevka.

Heavy fighting is reported in Stepnohirsk, where Russian paratroopers control the 3rd microdistrict with high-rise buildings, from which they are launching attacks further north and northeast. The southern outskirts of Prymorske are described as a ‘grey zone’, where any movement of forces is met with heavy bombardment.

In the Mala Tokmachka – Bilohirya front sector, Russian 70th Regiment units have reportedly consolidated in Mala Tokmachka and are fighting in built-up areas and along tree lines to the south. The active use of FPV drones and artillery by Ukraine is noted, as well as the use of electronic warfare systems.

Conclusion:

As of 11 October 2025, the operational situation is characterized by sustained, high-intensity hostilities on most fronts. According to reports, the Russian armed forces are maintaining the tactical initiative and achieving local successes in the Pokrovsk, Sumy and Kharkiv areas. Key events today included reports of an operational encirclement around Pokrovsk being created, a systematic advance continuing in Vovchansk, and counterattacks being repelled in the Sumy area.

Alongside the fighting on the front line, there has also been an increase in diplomatic activity. The Hungarian government has launched a major petition campaign against the European Union’s military strategy, which Budapest believes leads to an escalation of the conflict. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has personally endorsed the campaign, stating that the EU plan presented at the Copenhagen summit essentially amounts to a formula whereby “Europe pays, Ukrainians fight, and Russia will be exhausted”. He warned that Europe is “drifting towards war faster and faster” and urged peace-loving Hungarians to make their views known in order to prevent the country from becoming embroiled in the conflict.

The organizers of this action have positioned it as a peaceful initiative designed to put pressure on Brussels. Orbán promised that the campaign would reach every city and village in Hungary. The collected signatures are planned to be sent to EU institutions, and at the summit on 23–24 October, the Hungarian leader intends to block the implementation of what he describes as a dangerous military strategy.

The campaign is taking place against the backdrop of worsening relations between Hungary and the EU. Following his criticism in Copenhagen, Orbán stated that a campaign had been launched against Budapest involving “accusations of espionage, fake news scandals, and legal manipulations” with the aim of removing his government before the 2026 elections. Thus, the petition serves foreign and domestic purposes by mobilizing the electorate around the idea of defending national sovereignty.

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