Ukraine's army chief Syrskyi says operation in Kursk Oblast helped stabilize Pokrovsk front

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi believes that the operation in Kursk Oblast helped weaken the Russian advance on the Pokrovsk axis, he said in an interview with CNN, published on September 8.

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Asked whether the operation in Kursk Oblast was strategically and tactically correct, given that the Russians continue to advance on Pokrovsk, Syrskyi said: "We are doing everything we can not to lose Pokrovsk."

According to him, "over the past six days, the enemy has not advanced a single meter in the Pokrovsk direction" (the statement was made at the time of the interview, the date is unknown – ed.).

Based on this, the commander-in-chief is convinced that his strategy is working. According to him, the advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kursk Oblast deprived the Russian army of the ability to maneuver its units and redeploy them to reinforce other areas.

"So, in fact, it turns out that even though they did not move many troops from the Pokrovsk area except for one marine brigade, they are now unable to manoeuvre their reserves as they used to," Syrskyi added.

On August 1, Zelenskyy stated that the priority for Russia at the moment is to capture the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.

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

From September 5, evacuation trains from Pokrovsk were canceled. Pavlohrad will be the main station for the evacuation of civilians from Donetsk Oblast.

Over a month, more than 20,000 people, including 3,000 children, were evacuated from Pokrovsk.