59th Brigade comments on withdrawal of Ukrainian military from Novohrodivka near Pokrovsk

The Ukrainian military has decided to withdraw troops from the town of Novohrodivka on the Pokrovsk front due to its unfavorable geographic position, according to an officer from the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, Serhiy Tsekhotskyi, in an interview with Radio Svoboda.

"We could have held off the advance for 2-3 days and buried our brothers-in-arms in a certain number. I believe that Novohrodivka is geographically located in a not very advantageous position. As a fortress, it was not fully prepared," the military officer said.

Because of this, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to Tsekhotskyi, found it advantageous to withdraw troops from the settlement.

Tsekhotskyi did not directly answer the question of whether fortifications had been built in the town, but stressed that the withdrawal from Novohrodivka does not mean the end of the battle.

On July 1, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the enemy's current priority is the capture of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.

On August 19, the forced evacuation of families with children from the Pokrovsk community began.

As of August 28, there were still 38,000 adults and 1,900 children in Pokrovsk.

On August 29, army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that on the Pokrovsk front, the Russians are throwing "everything that can move and advance" into the battle, attempting to break through the Ukrainian defense.