Ukraine: Defending the front-line city of Pokrovsk

DW (English)

Russia is slowly advancing towards Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. Should the city fall, Russia would gain access to important roads and railway connections which could serve as a gateway to the neighboring Dnipro-Petrovsk region.

Transcript

00:00On the outskirts of Pokrovsk.

00:08This group of men has been working their howitzer since the break of dawn.

00:13They say that artillery is the god of war.

00:16It causes 90% of the damage that's inflicted on the enemy.

00:22But the Russians have more firepower and more people.

00:27Pressure on this part of the front line is intense.

00:36Russian infantry groups keep advancing.

00:39As seen in this footage captured by a Ukrainian surveillance drone.

00:44It's broadcast live to the command post.

00:49Back on the ground, we seek shelter as the unit prepares for potential retaliatory fire.

00:56It's been a busy morning.

01:00We drove the enemy back. Some were killed, some were hiding.

01:04We shot at them. Those who stayed more or less alive ran away.

01:08We shot at them too.

01:15Commander Vasil is determined to defend Pokrovsk.

01:20They won't take it. They won't take Pokrovsk.

01:22Because if they do, it will be bad.

01:24The road will be open and the Russians will have a direct path to Dnipropetrovsk.

01:34This is the city they're defending.

01:37Trains stopped working weeks ago.

01:41The lack of power and water, as well as Russian shelling, have driven people out.

01:47Pokrovsk once was home to 60,000 people.

01:50And during the war, it became an important hub for the military.

01:54Soldiers would come here to take a break from the frontlines.

01:59Those days are long gone.

02:03That's where the Druzhba hotel was. And over there was the Korleona pizzeria.

02:08In 2023, enemy rockets hit there for the first time.

02:14The Druzhba hotel was attacked last year.

02:17Volodymyr's commander was among those killed.

02:21In a residential neighborhood, we can see the result of a recent Russian attack,

02:26purportedly caused by a glide bomb.

02:30We found one man dead in his bed.

02:33He had gone to sleep, and his house received a direct hit.

02:40The adjacent buildings and structures caught fire.

02:45The blaze covered 400 square meters.

02:48Russian attacks on the city center have decreased slightly,

02:52because Ukrainians have sent reinforcements to the outskirts of the city.

02:57They take most of the fire.

03:04We're back at the position.

03:07A new batch of shells just arrived.

03:10But it's a drop in the ocean.

03:12Ukrainian troops say they barely receive enough military aid to hold on to their positions,

03:17and certainly not enough to change the course of the war.

03:26Negotiating peace with Russia, like some are calling for,

03:30cannot be the answer, says the commander.

03:34If Zelensky gives up the war,

03:37we will not be able to win.

03:40If Zelensky gives up the territory that was seized,

03:43in two years, we will have to go to war again.

03:46The Russians are constantly being re-equipped.

03:49They're producing shells every day.

03:51What about us? Give us shells, Europe.

03:54As we head back to the city, we make a stop at a brand new trench.

03:59It's one of many dug in the area around Pokrovsk,

04:03and a potential foreshadowing of battles to come.

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