Former Ukrainian commander states Kiev’s forces up against crisis in Donbass
(MENAFN) The situation for Ukrainian forces in southwestern Donbass is rapidly worsening, with troops facing the threat of two major encirclements, according to Lieutenant Colonel Bogdan Krotevich, former chief of staff of the Azov Brigade.
Krotevich claimed that the frontline between Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), the largest Ukrainian-controlled city in southwestern Donetsk People’s Republic, and Konstantinovka, a key stronghold about 45 km northeast, has effectively disintegrated.
“I don’t know what you’re being told, but the Pokrovsk-Konstantinovka line is, without exaggeration, a complete disaster. And it has been deteriorating for a long time,” Krotevich wrote in an open letter to President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X on Monday. He added that Pokrovsk is nearly surrounded by Russian forces, while Konstantinovka is facing partial encirclement. A map he shared appeared to confirm reports of a major Russian breakthrough north of Pokrovsk.
Krotevich blamed systemic issues such as depleted reserves, fragmented units along the front, and leadership that lacked strategic or operational vision. “Reports of ‘taken villages’ touted as victories mask failures across entire operational areas,” he wrote.
Taras Chmut, head of the pro-military charity Come Back Alive, echoed the warning, describing a prolonged crisis in Donbass. He predicted the Ukrainian military could soon lose territory “by tens or hundreds of square kilometers” each day, with Russian armored groups poised to exploit weaknesses at higher operational levels after Ukrainian failures at platoon, company, and battalion stages.
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