Russia has concentrated over 100,000 troops near Pokrovsk: the goal of the offensive.

According to inkorr.com: The Russian Federation has concentrated over 100,000 troops near Pokrovsk, trying to make this city a key stage in its winter campaign. According to 'Glavkom' with reference to Bloomberg, experts believe that even if the city is captured, it will not lead to significant changes in the course of the war.

After Bakhmut and Avdiivka, the Russian military plans to continue advancing towards Pokrovsk, an important transport and industrial center in Donetsk region. The city has well-developed railway connections and easy access to roads leading to the Dnipropetrovsk region. Therefore, the Kremlin considers Pokrovsk as a potential 'symbolic victory'.

'The question is not whether Pokrovsk will fall, but what it will mean for the war,' emphasized columnist Mark Champion.

Analysts point out that the Kremlin needs a public 'victory' before winter to strengthen propaganda and boost the morale of the Russian society, which is tired of the prolonged conflict.

However, even if Russia manages to capture Pokrovsk, it will not enable them to break through Ukrainian defensive positions in the east. In three years of war, Russian troops have advanced less than 50 km — from Avdiivka to Pokrovsk, and this has been accompanied by hundreds of thousands of casualties.

For Russia, it is important to achieve a public victory over Ukraine to lift morale and increase support for the war among its population. Although Pokrovsk is not a strategically important city, its capture may have great symbolic significance in the context of the conflict in Donbas and affect the further development of the situation in the region.

Thus, the consequences of a possible capture of Pokrovsk may be more symbolic than strategic. In the conditions of a prolonged war and significant human losses, control over this city, although it may boost the mood in Russian society, is unlikely to radically change the course of the conflict. Ukrainian defenders continue to strengthen their defensive positions in accordance with the threats posed by the enemy.