On the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian defenders are currently conducting a counteroffensive. This was indirectly confirmed on the evening of October 31 by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who referred to relevant reports from Ukrainian defenders.
In particular, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine mentioned the Pokrovsk direction in a new address to Ukrainians. He emphasized that the enemy must be "stopped and destroyed where they have come."
"There were many reports from the military today – detailed ones about the front. Of course, Pokrovsk is the priority. We continue to destroy the occupier, and this is the most important thing – to stop Russian strikes wherever and however possible. Russians want to turn our entire country into what they are doing to Pokrovsk, to Kupiansk, to other cities of ours, to our communities. They must be stopped where they have come and destroyed there," the Ukrainian leader specifically noted.
As is tradition, the President of Ukraine thanked our defenders on the Pokrovsk direction, as well as other military personnel "who hold positions and protect our state."
Separately, Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked our warriors "for long-range sanctions against Russia" – namely, for more than 160 strikes (since the beginning of this year) on the enemy’s fuel infrastructure, "and hundreds of other operations against their war machine."
Journalist Oliver Carroll from The Economist reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have launched a counteroffensive near Pokrovsk. He aptly noted that "Ukraine wants to restore logistics" in the mentioned direction.
"Right now – it has become clear that Ukraine’s military intelligence is conducting a bold counteroffensive near Pokrovsk to restore the operation of key logistical lines. In the video below, helicopter landings can be seen in areas that the occupiers claim are supposedly under Russian control," he stated.
In total, the aggressor state has concentrated around 170,000 soldiers on the Pokrovsk direction. The occupiers have been tasked with capturing the city, as they failed to take Sumy, Kupiansk, and other targets. According to the Ukrainian president, the occupiers understand that they are "losing Kupyansk," so they have thrown all their forces at Pokrovsk.