Forbes reports that defenders of Pokrovsk may be reinforced by fighters from the controversial 155th Brigade.

The capture of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region is one of Russia's primary objectives in the third year of the war, while for Ukraine, at the same time, its defense has become one of the most critical missions. For the troops, this means relentless close combat around a key transportation hub where 60,000 people lived before the war, writes Forbes journalist David Ex.

Drone forces demonstrated how a tank from the 59th Motorized Brigade of the Ukrainian army moved to confront Russian troops attacking Novovasilyivka, just a few kilometers southwest of Pokrovsk, and fired half a dozen shells at targets in the tree line.

While the tank crew may have slowed the attacking Russians, they did not stop them.

It remains unclear, the journalist notes, what specific type of tank the 59th Motorized Brigade has deployed to defend Pokrovsk. The brigade, consisting of 2,000 personnel, uses the standard Ukrainian T-64BV tank, but it may also have received some of the approximately 150 refurbished Leopard 1A5 tanks that Germany promised to supply for military needs.

If the brigade is fortunate, writes David Ex, it may also receive some personnel from the disintegrating 155th Mechanized Brigade, which utilizes heavier Leopard 2A4 tanks. The 155th Mechanized Brigade began arriving in Pokrovsk at the end of December, but it fell apart amid the SOCH of soldiers.

To save the 155th Mechanized Brigade, for which Ukraine, France, and Poland have spent months and millions of dollars on training and equipping, the Ukrainian leadership has started attaching fresh but inexperienced units to exhausted yet experienced brigades in the Pokrovsk direction.

According to Ukrainian military correspondent Yuriy Butusov, this is perhaps the smartest way to make the most out of a bad situation. The older brigades are facing a "severe shortage of infantry personnel, preventing them from holding a wide front, while there are experienced [drone] units, headquarters, and command staff that can quickly train and make mobilized personnel combat-ready."

The Ukrainian brigades near Pokrovsk need all possible assistance, as more Russian troops are gathering opposite their positions. Overall, the journalist notes, the Russians may have a three-to-one advantage in manpower and equipment.

According to CDS data, the Russians are strongest where the Ukrainians are weakest: near Pokrovsk in the area where the 59th Motorized Brigade is stationed.

"The greatest threat along the entire southeastern front currently comes from the enemy's operational-tactical breakthrough south of Pokrovsk," the group reported.

If the 59th Motorized Brigade and any troops and vehicles it may receive from the 155th Mechanized Brigade cannot stop the Russian Armed Forces, the garrison in Pokrovsk could soon find itself partially surrounded. This, as emphasized by the Forbes author, would be a ominous event for Ukrainians in what is expected to become the first major battle of 2025.

It should be noted that in Pokrovsk itself, only the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers and shop owners remain.