Situation in Pokrovsk

Western and Ukrainian media reported on Tuesday evening that Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate carried out a helicopter landing in Pokrovsk. The story was covered by Reuters and The Economist correspondent Oliver Carroll.

“Ukraine has deployed special forces to fight in the eastern part of Pokrovsk, which is under siege,” Reuters reported. Citing a source in the 7th Air Assault Corps, the agency said that GUR troops arrived aboard a Black Hawk helicopter. The operation is said to be led by the head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov.

In a post on X, Carroll wrote that “Ukrainian military intelligence is conducting a daring counteroffensive near Pokrovsk to unblock key logistical lines.” He added that “videos shared with me allegedly show helicopters landing in areas Russia claims to control,” though he was unable to verify their authenticity.

Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne also reported, citing its own sources, that GUR assault teams entered areas of the city considered strategically important for Ukrainian logistics and previously held by Russian forces. According to the report, several helicopters took part in the operation, and Budanov is personally overseeing intelligence activities near Pokrovsk. There has been no official confirmation of these reports.

Journalist Andriy Tsaplyenko mentioned the redeployment of GUR special forces to Pokrovsk as early as Monday. That aligns with Reuters’ reporting that the operation began several days earlier, although it was only widely reported yesterday. Judging by the Deep State map, the situation in Pokrovsk has noticeably deteriorated in the meantime. Ukrainian forces, however, report no decisive changes on that front.

"One should not confuse GUR units' tactical actions with broader-scale counteroffensive operations. The media have already declared victory—that the Armed Forces are advancing in Pokrovsk and so on. Certainly, GUR fighters of the Ministry of Defence executed a sudden and successful landing, but overall the situation on the front remains unchanged," wrote an officer with the call sign "Alex".

Another serviceman, Stanislav Bunyatov, criticized the publication of the landing video. "One person forwarded the video to another, a third posted it online and thereby revealed the landing site, creating a threat to the special forces and the helicopters. How are fighters to be evacuated from the battlefield now? I hope those responsible will be held to account," he wrote.

Russian military channels, meanwhile, published videos purportedly showing two GUR helicopters flying toward Pokrovsk. They claim the landing took place in the industrial zone on the city’s northwest edge, a key supply route for the garrison. In the self-proclaimed “DPR,” officials alleged that part of the special forces unit was destroyed, citing Denis Pushilin’s adviser Ihor Kimakovskyi, though the Ukrainian side has not confirmed this. Some Russian sources report that Ukrainian troops have established a foothold in the industrial zone, where Russian strikes are now ongoing.

It is too early to speak of a major counteroffensive—this appears to be a localized operation aimed at preventing the complete encirclement of Pokrovsk. Judging by the fact that GUR had to rely on a helicopter landing rather than a ground corridor, the threat of encirclement has become real.