Today there is important news from the Pokrovsk direction.

Here Ukrainians are targeting all the major and minor ammunition depots from Donetsk city all the way to the front line at Pokrovsk.

With shortages of ammunition for Russian soldiers fighting on the contact line, Ukrainian units are able to expertly exploit these weaknesses and take the initiative.

Ukrainian strikes have crippled Russian supplies of weapons in the Pokrovsk direction with multiple confirmed hits against key ammunition depots throughout the region.

Strikes on Donetsk

In Donetsk, a series of massive explosions rocked the city after Ukrainian long-range drones penetrated Russian defenses. Air defense systems were active beforehand, with smoke trails visible in the sky, but they failed to intercept the incoming strikes.

Footage from Russian soldiers captured the true scale of the destruction, with thick black smoke rising above a facility, followed by a colossal explosion that sent shockwaves through the area, knocking down the soldier who was filming.

Secondary blasts continued for hours, clear evidence of hundreds of tons of ammunition igniting and cooking off.

In at least two different parts of Donetsk, separate plumes of smoke confirmed that multiple storage sites had been struck, leaving no doubt that Ukrainian intelligence and precision targeting had hit their mark.

Salidov under attack

Salidov was not spared either, and another geolocated video, taken by Russian personnel, showed a local base and warehouse engulfed in flames, with ammunition exploding uncontrollably.

In the background, a shaken soldier muttered that hell has broken loose, summing up the chaos that unfolded as the depot erupted.

Salidov has long been used as a central logistics hub due to its size and relative concealment opportunities for Russian soldiers in the Pokrovsk direction. Now it has become a death trap for Russian stockpiles due to its proximity to the front line of around 20 km.

Ukrainian forces struck precisely, underscoring that there are no secure places in the Pokrovsk rear, despite the Russian command believing they had relative safety due to the available buildings.

Impact on Russian logistics

The Donetsk-Yasinovato-Khorlivka rail triangle, combined with the Avdiivka-Oharetina road corridor, has always been the lifeline for Russia’s offensive toward Pokrovsk.

By hitting depots within this network, Ukrainian units force Russia to disperse munitions into smaller caches and rely on last-minute convoys that are far easier to intercept.

With Salidov now burning, Russia has no safe ammunition hub south of Pokrovsk, meaning supplies must take longer, more fuel-intensive roads, often through poor road conditions, and exposed to drones and artillery.

Every strike on Yasinovato or Donetsk is immediately felt on the front lines of the Donetsk-Khorlivka rail triangle. Due to immediate rationing of shells, weaker counter-battery fire, along with slower and less coordinated assaults.

Battlefield consequences

Ukrainian drones, which are constantly scanning the area, direct fire on convoys, repair depots, and ammunition caches, ensuring that Russia’s logistic flow remains fragile as supplies are rerouted.

This vulnerability directly translates into opportunities for the Ukrainians on the battlefield. When Russian units cannot sustain sufficient fire support, Ukrainian troops gain windows to rotate, reinforce, or counter-attack with less risk.

Analysts estimate that the recent strikes in Donetsk alone destroyed several hundred tons of shells, a loss that cannot be quickly replenished, given Russia’s already stretched industrial base and vulnerable supply chain.

Historical context and pattern

These disruptions mirror earlier Ukrainian successes on Pokrovsk’s southern flank during the spring and summer, where Russian forces were starved of not only ammunition, but even food and water. water, causing a collapse after weeks of futile assaults.

Now on the northeastern flank near Dobropillia, Russian units find themselves in the same position, and every passing day without resupply weakens their foothold and makes them easier prey for Ukrainian counterattacks.

Strategic assessment

Overall, the recent strikes on Donetsk and Selidov are not isolated incidents, but part of a sustained Ukrainian campaign. 

The Ukrainian tactic is simple but brutally effective – destroy the depots, force dispersal, harass convoys and let the front lines dry out. 

Even when Russian forces managed to achieve a breakthrough towards Dobropillia, these gains collapsed within days because their logistics network could not sustain them. 

Ukrainian defenders, reinforced and well-supplied, pushed back, cleared villages and reclaimed swathes of territory, while Russian soldiers were left undersupplied, demoralized, and vulnerable. 

With every ammunition depot destroyed, the balance shifts further in favor of the Ukrainians and allows them to strike back.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.