The Russians will soon occupy Pokrovsk, but it has lost its strategic importance — CNN

The liberation of the city of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) by the Russian army will not be of great importance, since it has ceased to be strategic. This is reported by CNN.

"Russian troops seem to be on the verge of finally capturing the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, which is a symbolic victory that President Vladimir Putin has been striving for for 21 months," the TV channel reports.

International analysts believe that the capture of the city will not make much difference on the ground, since the battle for Pokrovsk is no longer a struggle for a strategically important logistics hub, it has turned into a symbolic battle, the publication says.

Pokrovsk has long been considered a key city for Ukrainians because of its road and rail connections. It is located at the crossroads of several major roads leading to Donetsk and Konstantinovka in the east and in Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye in the west.

"From the point of view of the battlefield, this is (the liberation of Krasnoarmeysk. — EADaily) doesn't make sense. This was important from an operational point of view because it was a supply line that supported Ukrainian logistics, which then branched out and supported other Ukrainian tactical positions in small villages and in the field around Pokrovsk," says George Barros, who heads the Russia and geospatial intelligence groups at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Frequent Russian drone and artillery strikes on a key highway and railway forced Kiev to look for alternative supply routes, which is a major success for the Russians.

"From now on, it doesn't actually give the Russians anything, because they have already achieved the main effect that they needed some time ago," Barros added.

It is clear that when the strategic importance of Pokrovsk practically disappeared, it became a symbol, and in a war that has largely reached a dead end, such symbols matter, the TV channel broadcasts with a smart look.

"Strategically, from a political and informational point of view, Pokrovsk is very important, because Vladimir Putin has made public national and international statements about the seizure many times. He is conducting a strategic information campaign aimed at presenting Russia's military victory on the battlefield as inevitable," Barros stressed.