Up To 60,000 Russian Soldiers Could Face Disaster in Pokrovsk, Zelensky Said

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, Aug. 27, that the Russian army continues to exert pressure in the Pokrovsk sector of the Donetsk region. They are likely trying to repeat the experience of capturing Bakhmut.

He suggested that Russian forces could suffer as many as 60,000 casualties there. Yet Zelensky emphasized that it is not possible to act based on the principle of “you lose 100,000, and we lose 100,000.”

“The Russians are not retreating there because they are shot at when they go back. It’s like in Bakhmut – they’ll lose 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers there, and you’ll see this soon,” he said.

Zelensky noted that after the start of the offensive in the Kursk region, the advance of Russian troops near Pokrovsk slowed down.

“Sometimes, where three brigades are standing, it doesn’t matter if there are three or five brigades; what matters is who is pressing, in what quantity, and what the fighters are capable of,” the President said. “They are not retreating there, and when they go back, they are shot at. And they’ll keep pressing. They need it, just like the situation in Bakhmut,” Zelensky added.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky, responding to press inquiries on Tuesday, noted that one of the goals of the Kursk operation was to divert enemy forces from the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove sectors.

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A senior US Defense Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the high levels of casualties among DPRK soldiers who were described as lacking combat experience.

“The Kursk operation has diverted a significant number of enemy forces. At this moment, we can confirm that about 30,000 soldiers have already been redeployed to the Kursk direction. And this number is growing. Meanwhile, the enemy is trying to remove units from other directions. In the Pokrovsk direction, on the contrary, they are increasing their efforts,” Syrsky said.

On Aug. 6, Ukraine launched a new offensive into Russia’s less-fortified Kursk region, which took Moscow by surprise, with Russian conscripts being thrust into the fight in its attempt to contain the offensive.

The Kremlin has responded by declaring a “counter-terrorist operation” in the Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk Oblasts. However, Ukrainian forces continue their offensive, with no signs of slowing down.

The operation has drawn international attention, with reports like those from the Washington Post noting that since the offensive began, more than 240 Russian soldiers have been captured in the Kursk region.

Ukrainian officials said on Aug. 14 that the operation’s goal is to create a “buffer zone” to prevent Russian shelling of Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Ukrainian president, said that the Kursk operation is part of Ukraine’s efforts to coerce Russia into negotiations.