On the section of the Russian-Ukrainian front in the Donetsk region between the cities of Konstantinovka and Pokrovsk, the Russian army has made some progress. The goal of the Russian forces is to try to bypass the defenses of Pokrovsk from the east and surround the city. The spokesman for the operational-strategic group of troops "Khortytsia" Viktor Tregubov commented on the progress of the Russian military between Konstantinovka and Pokrovsk on July 27 on the air of Suspilne.
According to Tregubov, the Pokrovsk direction is a key sector of the Russian offensive and a section of the front where the Russian troops have concentrated the most forces. On July 18, it was reported that Russian troops tried to break through to the city with a sabotage and reconnaissance group, but they were destroyed. Later, the Donetsk Special Operations Command reported the activation of Russian special operations groups on the approaches to Pokrovsk, and the Deep State analytical project reported that some Russian infantrymen managed to enter the city and were eliminated.
The spokesman for the Khortytsia Special Operations Command reported that the advance of Russian troops was noticed between Konstantinovka and Pokrovsk.
"There is still some advance on their part in Pokrovsk - partial penetration between Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka. They are trying to develop it, while our troops are trying to destroy as much manpower and equipment as possible, to slow down the offensive and repel them“.
There is no threat of a direct assault on Pokrovsk yet, since the Russian command understands that it will lose a large number of infantry and equipment. That is why they are trying to bypass the city, Viktor Tregubov commented.
"At the moment, there is no particular point in entering the city, unless it is to complicate the situation for Ukrainian drones, in which case they will be forced to retreat a little, instead of dealing with the destruction of the Russians“.
"But in general, storming the city now makes no sense, because the Russians have already learned what happens if they storm cities in this way. Despite all the strength they currently have to repeat the "local assaults" that were in Mariupol and Bakhmut, they still won't have enough people now. They will simply lose them completely. That's why they are trying to partially surround the city," the spokesman for the "Khortitsa" Special Operations Command reported.
This year, on July 18, a Russian sabotage group tried to break through to Pokrovsk, but at the same time, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Sirsky, announced that it had been discovered and destroyed by the Ukrainian military.
On July 19, the "Khortitsa" Special Operations Command reported that in Pokrovsk, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine "are conducting counter-sabotage measures aimed at detecting and neutralizing Russian DRGs." The message added that all attempts by Russia to penetrate the city were unsuccessful: "Russian sabotage groups were neutralized on the approaches to Pokrovsk".
On the evening of July 21, the DeepState analytical center wrote that the Russian DRGs were being liquidated in Pokrovsk. Then the analysts pointed out: "The enemy, taking advantage of the fact that one of the brigades simply ran out of infantry, as well as inaccurate information about the situation on the ground, penetrated Pokrovsk through Zvyrov." DeepState also added that the goal of the Russian military was "to take control of "Defenders of Ukraine" street.
On the morning of July 22, on the air of "Suspilne" The deputy commander of the battalion of the 25th brigade with the call sign "Major", answering questions about the situation in the city, did not confirm the presence of a DRG in Pokrovsk.
The situation in Pokrovsk and whether there are Russian troops in the city is not commented on by the sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the OSGV "Khortitsa" "for reasons of operational safety". Such an answer was received by Suspilne Donbass on July 22 from the OSUV spokesman Viktor Tregubov when asked about the situation in Pokrovsk and whether there are indeed sabotage groups of Russian forces in the city.
At an altitude of 9 km above Eastern Europe, an AWACS - a NATO air surveillance and control aircraft equipped with a rotating radar - flies in the air. From here - from the air - the alliance monitors all activity near the Baltic Sea, especially in the area of Russia's Kaliningrad, writes Business Insider.
"We are the eyes in the sky“, says Major Ben, a US Air Force officer who coordinates the actions of the fighters.
What is AWACS?
This is a modified Boeing 707, which is equipped with a long-range radar tracking system capable of detecting objects at a distance of more than 500 km - both in the air and on the surface.
"We see practically everything that is happening. And we transmit this to the command in real time," explains Captain Jasper, a Dutch dispatcher.
The Baltic Sentry Mission
The plane took off from Geilenkirchen base in Germany to take part in Operation Baltic Sentry - monitoring the safety of underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea after a series of sabotage attacks. The crew is paying special attention to Kaliningrad - a powerful Russian military base in Europe.
"As soon as a fighter jet leaves Kaliningrad, we detect it", confirms Captain Marek, a Polish officer.
AWACS is a high-tech air command post. Inside are analysts, dispatchers, technicians, as well as improvised rest areas. Although the aircraft was created in the 1980s, most of its equipment remains classified and meets the highest security requirements.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, AWACS have been performing regular surveillance missions, playing a key role in protecting the Alliance's eastern flank.
"This aircraft is not from a museum - these are our modern eyes and ears", summarizes one of the officers.