Potentially hundreds of.
‘Elves’ troops from.
Four brigades are holding.
A vulnerable salient.
South of Pokrovsk.
An ‘elves’ stronghold that sits.
Astride critical supply lines.
In Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine.
But the ‘elves’.
In the salient.
Aren’t quite ready.
To quit.
For days.
Some experts have been.
Advising the ‘elves’.
In the salient.
—30 square miles.
Stretching between.
The village of Ukrainsk and.
The Vovcha River to the east—
To retreat.
In order to avoid.
Getting surrounded.
Cut off and destroyed.
By an ‘orcs’ force.
With a fourfold advantage.
In troops.
And equipment.
But the ‘elves’.
In the salient.
Aren’t quite ready.
To quit.
On Wednesday.
They fought.
—and won—
A brutal skirmish.
At a key road and.
Rail intersection between.
The salient and the main.
‘Elves’ sector to the north.
The fight developed.
When at least.
Two ‘orcs’ vehicles.
Seemingly including.
A BTR wheeled armored.
Personnel carrier and.
An MT-LB.
Armored tractor.
Raced along.
The main east-west road.
Into Selydove.
An ‘elves’-held settlement.
That anchors.
The front line.
Between Pokrovsk.
And Ukrainsk.
But the ‘elves’.
In the salient.
Aren’t quite ready.
To quit.
It’s obvious why.
The ‘orcs’ central grouping.
Of forces wants to.
Infiltrate Selydove.
—and equally obvious why.
The ‘elves’ are determined.
To hold fast.
In the town.
As long as the ‘elves’.
Hold out in the salient.
To the south.
They pose a threat.
To the left flank of.
The ‘orcs’ 2nd.
Combined Arms Army.
And 90th Tank Division.
—the main units.
Within the local ‘orcs’.
Grouping of forces.
—as they roll toward Pokrovsk.
But the ‘elves’.
In the salient.
Aren’t quite ready.
To quit.
“Over the past week.
The command of the center grouping.
Especially the 2nd Army.
And 90th Tank Division.”
“Have shifted.
Their main focus from.
Directly targeting Pokrovsk.
To pushing towards Selydove.”
“And the surrounding areas.
To the east.
And southeast.”
Was reported on Sunday.
“If they succeed.
It will allow them.
To advance further.
On Pokrovsk.”
“And secure the left flank.
Of the forces.
Moving in.
From the south.”
But the ‘elves’.
In the salient.
Aren’t quite ready.
To quit.
The ‘elves’ are trying to.
Ensure the ‘orcs’ don’t succeed.
—and are apparently fighting.
To preserve the salient.
South of Pokrovsk.
In order to maintain.
The threat to.
The ‘orcs’ left flank.
As those ‘orcs’ vehicles.
Rolled into the eastern edge.
Of Selydove.
On Wednesday.
An ‘elves’ drone.
Spotted them.
And an ‘elves’ tank.
—likely a T-64.
From the recently deployed.
Kara-Dag brigade of.
The ‘elves’ national guard.
—moved to intercept from the west.
But the ‘elves’.
In the salient.
Aren’t quite ready.
To quit.
The BTR managed.
To disembark.
A squad of a dozen.
Or so infantry.
In what the crew.
Must have believed was.
A safe position:
The road underpass.
Beneath the local.
North-south railway.
But the infantry were still.
Huddled next to the BTR.
When the ‘elves’ tank.
Hit the vehicle.
With a 125-millimeter.
Cannon round.
Damaging the BTR.
And apparently wounding.
Or killing some of the infantry.
The damaged BTR.
Soon had company:
What may have been.
An MT-LB.
But the MT-LB.
Took a hit, too.
—and was on fire.
As the ‘elves’ tank crawled up.
To the underpass.
But the ‘elves’.
In the salient.
Aren’t quite ready.
To quit.
The ‘elves’ clearly aren’t.
willing to lose the roads.
And rails connecting Pokrovsk.
To Selydove to Ukrainsk.
And to the adjacent salient.
—not as long as they’re still.
Actively fighting for Pokrovsk.
And not just planning their retreat.
So the three-person crew.
Of that T-64 hit.
The burning MT-LB.
At point-blank range with.
Another 125-millimeter round.
—and then proceeded to shove.
The flaming wreckage clear of.
The overhead rail bridge.
But the ‘elves’.
In the salient.
Aren’t quite ready.
To quit.
The outcome was clear.
The ‘orcs’ assault failed.
With heavy losses.
In people and equipment.
And for the moment.
At least.
The ‘elves’ positions.
Were intact.
And the roads.
Connecting them were clear.
For now, Pokrovsk holds.
—and so does the salient to the south.
*Because I read “Fighting To Save Pokrovsk And Hundreds Of Vulnerable Ukrainian Troops, A Ukrainian Tank Blasted a Russian Vehicle From A Few Feet Away” by David Axe on 4 Sep 2024 on the Forbes, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022 on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem.
Please read the original story on the Forbes:
Fighting For Pokrovsk, a Ukrainian Tank Hit a Vehicle From Feet Away (forbes.com)
