‘Orcs’ troops advanced into.
The village of Novohrodivka.
In eastern Ukraine.
On Wednesday.
That puts them within.
Five miles of Pokrovsk.
A main objective of ‘orcs’.
Nearly yearlong eastern offensive.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
The ‘elves’ military doesn’t.
Have many extra troops.
To deploy to.
The Pokrovsk front.
Many of the spare.
Brigades it had.
A month ago are.
Now participating.
In ‘elves’ surprise invasion.
Of ‘Mordor’’s Kursk Oblast.
‘Elves’ leaders.
Are finally beginning to.
Grasp the urgency.
Of the balance.
Of forces.
On the Pokrovsk axis.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
The coming battle for Pokrovsk.
A city with a pre-war population.
Of 60,000.
—many of whom have now fled—
Is actually an extension.
Of the battle for Avdiivka.
That ended in an ‘elves’ retreat.
In February.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
Avdiivka.
24 miles east.
Of Pokrovsk.
Was a fortress.
That protected.
The settlements.
Railroads and.
Roads to the west.
When the ‘elves’ garrison.
In Avdiivka.
Ran out of.
Ammunition in mid-February.
And fled.
It left the logistical infrastructure.
To the west exposed.
To ‘orcs’ assaults.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
Yes, those assaults.
Have been extremely costly.
To the ‘orcs’.
But ‘Mordor’ has been willing to.
Trade thousands of lives and.
Hundreds of armored vehicles.
For a shot at Pokrovsk.
—and for good reason.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
Pokrovsk is situated.
At a crucial crossroads.
Of multiple railroad lines.
It has become a key delivery.
And railroad distribution hub.
Facilitating the supply of.
‘Elves’ force.
Across a broad frontline.
From Vuhledar to the north of.
Donetsk and beyond.
As of today.
The situation around Pokrovsk.
Is dire and dangerous.
With the potential to create.
A serious operational catastrophe.
If the town is lost.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
In taking Pokrovsk.
‘Orcs’ could weaken.
‘Elves’ defenses.
All along the eastern front line.
—a critical precondition for.
A wider ‘orcs’ advance that could.
Result in the full occupation.
Of Donetsk Oblast.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
When the ‘elves’ command.
Headed by the Gen..
Opted to invade Kursk.
With a strong force.
Of thousands of troops.
Drawn from eight or.
More brigades.
It surprised some observers.
Why weren’t those troops.
Reinforcing Pokrovsk, instead?
One generous reading of,
‘Elves’ strategy in Kursk is.
That the invasion was meant.
To draw ‘orcs’ regiments.
Away from the east.
Relieving the pressure on Pokrovsk.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
Instead of rushing.
Its best troops.
Into Kursk to blunt.
The ‘elves’ advance.
‘Mordor’ scraped together.
A motley counter-invasion force.
Including many young.
And poorly trained conscripts.
These reinforcements.
Have slowed.
But not halted.
The ‘elves’ invasion.
More importantly.
For ‘orcs’ strategy.
They’ve allowed ‘orcs’ to keep.
Its eastern forces intact.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
The result.
Three weeks into.
‘Elves’ invasion.
Of Kursk is.
That the ‘orcs’ offensive.
In the east is.
Not only continuing.
—it’s gaining momentum.
“The situation is.
Extremely difficult.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ conceded.
On Wednesday.
The six or so ‘elves’ brigades.
Defending Pokrovsk are.
Outnumbered around.
Two-to-one.
Without help.
They might have no choice.
But to surrender Pokrovsk.
—and soon.
*Because I read “If Ukraine’s Invasion Of Russia’s Kursk Oblast Was A Diversion, It Has Failed” by David Axe on 28 Aug 2024 on the Forbes, and “What the fall of Pokrovsk could mean for Ukraine” on 28 Aug 2024 on the Frontelligence Insight, 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 stories on the Forbes and on the Frontelligence Insight:
If Ukraine’s Invasion Of Russia’s Kursk Oblast Was A Diversion, It Has Failed (forbes.com)
What the fall of Pokrovsk could mean for Ukraine (substack.com)