3-kilometer escape corridor countdown! Is the Red Army City a trap or a smokescreen for the Ukrainian army's large-scale retreat? Can you believe it? A country's president directly entered the most fiercely fought frontline area, and stayed there for an entire day!

Zelenskyy's move on November 4th immediately exploded onto the hot search list. Some said he was staging a show to gain sympathy, but if it were just a show, who would gamble their life in the area under Russian long-range artillery fire? That place could be bombed at any moment, and even face enemy infiltration.

More importantly, while Zelenskyy was "risking his life" in Pokrovsk, another silent hard battle was also being fought simultaneously 60 kilometers away in Kupiansk.

These two places, one south and one north, seem unrelated, but actually hide Ukraine's dual-front strategy. One is the front-line confrontation once called a "meat grinder," and the other is a "surgical-style" rear-area elimination. But now, the situation in Pokrovsk has completely reversed. Is it a pre-set trap or a smokescreen before the Ukrainian army's large-scale retreat?

First of all, we must say that Zelenskyy's "frontline trip" was indeed tough. On November 4, 2025, he directly headed to the most intense area of Pokrovsk and stayed there for an entire day.

This was not a photo shoot from a safe area. The camera recorded him directly entering the frontline command post to give a regular speech. The people he met were not just figureheads; they were frontline units fighting bravely in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. The "Azov First Division," "Rubizh," the 4th Combat Brigade, and the 25th Independent Airborne Brigade were among them.

He not only personally awarded medals to soldiers, but also had small meetings with company commanders, discussing the most practical battlefield needs, especially focusing on drone supplies. Knowing that this was a key area under heavy Russian firepower, Zelenskyy's move was clearly sending a signal: "I am with the frontlines," using his personal safety to stabilize the morale of the entire army and the nation.

Ukrainian forces had previously achieved remarkable results, which was the initial confidence for Zelenskyy's visit to the frontline. The Alpha Special Forces of the Ukrainian Security Service disclosed that in the past month alone, in the Pokrovsk area, they caused over 1,500 Russian casualties, destroyed 20 tanks, 62 armored vehicles, 39 artillery systems, and a large amount of logistics facilities.

These verified video results made the Alpha unit a "meat grinder" in the area, consuming Russian combat power through precise strikes and rear-area raids, and preventing the Russians from achieving encirclement. However, the situation has now completely reversed.

According to sources from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russians have broken through the border of Pokrovsk and are advancing to fully encircle the Ukrainian forces. Although the official statement still claims "resistance," the statements from frontline soldiers are completely different. The Russians have deployed 170,000 troops, forming a 5:1 numerical advantage.

A senior Ukrainian officer bluntly stated: "We have lost 80% of the city's territory, and the remaining 20% is also retreating step by step. The units in Myrnohrad and the south are even worse, almost surrounded."

The original plan of the Ukrainian forces was a dual-front strategy: southern Pokrovsk as a "bait," using the "loss rate" tactic to lure and kill the Russians; northern Kupiansk conducting a "surgical-style" elimination operation to cut off Russian logistics. However, this plan is now in jeopardy.

The Ukrainians had previously boasted that Pokrovsk was a "trap," and the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff even claimed that the Russians could not block or encircle the area. Ukrainian soldier Ihor Lutsenko also stated that they wanted to make the Russians pay a 1:10 or even 1:20 exchange ratio, dragging out the enemy through prolonged attrition.

But the reality is that after five months of aerial interception on the battlefield, the Russians have weakened the Ukrainian defenses, then used the "penetration tactics" to find gaps in the defense lines. Now they have deeply infiltrated the city and spread out. More critically, the Russians have established the "Cube Center" and the elite Rubicon drone group, specifically targeting Ukrainian drone operators and supply lines, making the Ukrainian "loss rate" tactic completely ineffective.

In the north, Kupiansk, the Ukrainian forces are still carrying out the "cutting logistics, eliminating internal enemies" elimination operation. Deputy commander of the Achilles 429th Independent Drone Regiment revealed that they are clearing out small Russian groups that have infiltrated through natural gas pipelines, trying to cut off the Russian supply lifeline.

However, the critical situation in Pokrovsk has put pressure on the elimination operations in Kupiansk. If Pokrovsk falls, the Russians will be able to concentrate their forces to push northward, significantly reducing the strategic value of Kupiansk, and making the Ukrainian logistics disruption plan useless. Currently, only a 3-kilometer wide escape corridor remains in Pokrovsk, under constant surveillance by Russian drones, and it can be completely closed at any time.

Zelenskyy's frontline encouragement and the rear guard protection by elite forces are essentially Ukraine's desperate struggle in dire circumstances.

The former "trap" could not withstand the Russian military and tactical pressure. Now, the 3-kilometer escape corridor has become the lifeline for the Ukrainian forces. Elite units such as the 425th Assault Regiment and the 82nd Airborne Brigade have been deployed along the northern edge, not for an offensive, but to protect the survivors of the 68th Light Infantry Brigade and the 155th Mechanized Brigade during their withdrawal.

At this point in the war, the fate of Pokrovsk has entered a countdown. Will it continue to consume the Russians as the Ukrainian forces claimed? Or will it fall, as the frontline soldiers said? Is Zelenskyy's "risk-taking" a sign of determination, or a smokescreen before a retreat? The answer lies in whether this 3-kilometer escape corridor survives.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7569851986943164982/

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