Russia continues to focus its firepower on the strategic and battered eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that almost a third of all combat along the 750-mile front line is in or near Pokrovsk, and half of Russia’s glide bomb attacks are targeting the city, where the situation continues to deteriorate for its Ukrainian defenders.
Russian forces continue to infiltrate Pokrovsk from the south and Ukrainian positions, plagued by manpower shortages, are increasingly thin.
So how dire is the situation in Pokrovsky, which is considered one of the lynchpins of Ukraine’s crucial fortress belt in Donetsk oblast? And what does the battle for Pokrovsk tell us about the broader trajectory of the war?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Michael Kofman, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Principal Research Scientist at the CNA Corporation, a senior editor at War on the Rocks, and host of the new Russian Contingency Podcast.
Enjoy…
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SHOW NOTES
The audio clip opening the podcast came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech on November 5, 2025. The translation is as follows:
“In Pokrovsk, we continue to destroy the occupier. I want to particularly commend the personnel of the ‘A’ Special Operations Center of the Security Service of Ukraine, who systematically and very effectively destroy Russian occupiers and their equipment in the Pokrovsk area and in the city itself.”
The audio clip opening the second segment came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech on November 6, 2025. The translation is as follows:
“It’s also important to recognize our units and warriors who are doing truly innovative work both in combat and in rescuing the wounded. I am grateful to all our genuinely committed people who are doing absolutely everything possible to defend Ukrainian positions, destroy the invader, and save our wounded.”
Michael Kofman’s social media thread on the battle for Pokrovsk, which was referenced on the podcast, can be accessed here. Michael Kofman’s recently published work can be accessed here and here. The Russia Contingency Podcast can be accessed here.
The Power Vertical Newsletter on Substack can be accessed here. Recently published work by Brian Whitmore can be accessed here, here, here, and here. Please follow Brian Whitmore and The Power Vertical on Bluesky @powervertical.bsky.social
The article in The New York Times on the battle for Pokrovsk, which was referenced and cited in the podcast, can be accessed here.