Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukrainian military units could make their own decision about withdrawing from Krasnoarmeysk — known in Ukraine as Pokrovsk — in the Donetsk People’s Republic. He made the remarks in an interview with Bloomberg.
Zelensky emphasized that no one is forcing soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to sacrifice their lives for destroyed positions.
“I will support our soldiers, especially the commanders who are there, in how they can control the situation. Otherwise, it will be too costly for us,” said the president.
He added that Ukrainian troops cannot abandon the Donbas region entirely, since such a move would not be understood by the country’s population. At the same time, he warned that a withdrawal could allow Russian forces to advance deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Heavy Losses Reported in Pokrovsk
Earlier, Igor Kimakovsky, adviser to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said that the Ukrainian army had lost a grouping of several thousand troops in Pokrovsk. According to him, only a small portion of the Ukrainian forces managed to retreat to the nearby satellite city of Dymytrov.
The ongoing battles around Pokrovsk highlight one of the most intense and costly phases of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as both sides face mounting losses amid fierce fighting for control of key strategic positions.
Ukrainian Soldiers Surrender in Mirnograd, Refuse to Die of Hunger
An entire unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine surrendered to Russian troops in Mirnograd (formerly Dimitrov). The Ukrainian soldiers had been surrounded and cut off from supplies. “We’re not going to starve to death here,” they reportedly said.
It became known that 25 servicemen from the 38th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who had been defending positions in Mirnograd, surrendered to Russian forces. The Ukrainian soldiers found themselves encircled and starving due to the lack of food deliveries. According to intercepted radio communications, the troops had honestly warned their command that they would lay down their arms if they were not provided with food and water.
Shortly afterward, Russian troops dropped leaflets over the city from a drone, indicating when and where the soldiers could surrender. The Ukrainians, who never received the promised supplies, kept their word and laid down their weapons as an entire unit.
During interrogation, they stated that their command had ordered them not to retreat but had failed to provide any logistical support. As a result, the soldiers were trapped — unable to advance, withdraw, or evacuate the wounded. They had been left there to die.
After reading the leaflet, the marines decided that life was more valuable and that they did not want to die for President Zelensky’s publicity in yet another “fortress.” They therefore went to the designated location unarmed and surrendered.
