ERR in Ukraine: Brigades redeployed to Pokrovsk from quieter zones
Ukrainian forces are trying to halt Russian advances not only in Donbas but also in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions to the south and west, where fierce battles are underway.
An ERR film crew headed to Pokrovsk early in the morning, where it was met by soldiers they had also visited earlier this year in the Kharkiv region, in the north of the country.
Dawn was a good time to visit an artillery position, as there are fewer drones in the sky at that time. Still, with the enemy just six kilometers away, fast driving is a must.
Just a month ago, these same troops were deployed near Vovchansk, in the Kharkiv region, and have since then been transferred to Pokrovsk.
While this transport hub has long been coveted by the Russians, it has held out through the war — so far at least.
"They're advancing more here than there [in Kharkiv]. We have more work. Sometimes glide bombs fall too. The fighting here is very intense. There, the situation was much calmer," said one Ukrainian serviceman, codename: "Greyhead."
One soldier from the unit is always on drone watch.
"It's a bit scary, because there are a lot of drones flying here. God willing they don't come at us, so we don't have to shoot them down. If they fly overhead, we don't shoot. We only shoot if they are aimed directly at us," "Farmer," one of these sentries, told ERR.
The ERR crew was later briefed on the front-line situation by the battery commander, call sign "House Elf," at unit command later.
Over the past two months, the Russians have captured more than 15 villages in the area.
"They drop glide bombs, and raze entire villages to the ground just to push us back even a little," "House Elf" explained.
"They bomb not only the villages, but also our positions. Once a glide bomb fell right on our artillery position — fortunately it didn't detonate," said another soldier, "Rebel."
The amount of activity the artillery team were engaged in made interviewing them challenging. They have no shortage of ammunition, at least.
"You can't halt the enemy with FPV drones alone. The infantry can't hold out. For this reason we're given enough ammunition," "House Elf" noted.
It's one thing to head to the position in the dark; leaving it once day has come is another thing entirely.
"You saw for yourselves that going to the position and coming back is quite an adventure. The closer the enemy, the harder it is to go there and return. We have to go anyway, whether we want to or not, as if the boys don't have ammunition, our infantry will be left without their pants," "Rebel" noted.
The Russian press on Pokrovsk and nearby Kostyantynivka is a continuation of its summer offensive efforts, ahead of the fall "Rasputitsa" (mud) setting in. The Pokrovsk offensive started in earnest in July 2024; the town's population fell from a pre-war level of 60,000, to 7,000 as of January 2025 and less than 1,500 by late July 2025, according to some reports.
An interactive map of the War in Ukraine updated in real time is here.
--
Editor: Andrew Whyte, Johanna Alvin
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
